Forever Dancing
by PurpleFanMagic
Summary: Junior is dead, Space-Claw has vanished, and the G.L.E.E has taken control of the Robot War. Up and Taz are looking forward to a peaceful life together, until a spanner is thrown into the works, and both their lives become worlds apart… Sequel to Fanfic Learning to dance by Karri Justina Shea!
1. Chapter 1 Stars

Chapter One

_Stars_

The stars slid gently by, like large twinkling fairy lights that people used to put on the front of their houses for celebrations such as Christmas back on Earth. Their brilliant light seemed to draw something back from the intense blackness of deep space. So inviting, gleaming, delicate, yet somehow sinister. Starship _15-A2 _glided past a sparkling phasing comet, creating the illusion of a giant sun shooting across the galaxy, or like some spectacular giant firework. The ships computers hummed, the signals beeped and the machines whirred, but all around the ship was a silence so deep and never ending. One by one, lights flicked on, in the tiny windows of the ship, making little circles illuminate, like some bizarre neon light display. Morning had just broken, even though the outside looked the same as ever, and through the ship, noises could be heard as each inhabitant awoke. Below the ship was a planet, where the morning was met with excitement, and a constant stream of buzzing. The green marshes blended with the swirling pink and orange water overlooking the green and blue foliage of the planet. Commander Up sat by the window of his quarters, his eyes fixed on the small black velvet box he held lightly between his fingers. He flipped the lid open, and stared down at the small ring lying within the silk lining. The diamonds on the ring sparkled, and the burnished gold shone in the artificial tin shaded light. He reached out with his left hand, and gently ran his finger over it, the metal cold to the touch. He sighed, flipped the lid shut again and slid the box back into his pocket. He looked up, and caught sight of his reflection in the window. Silver haired, broad shouldered, and a silver moustache in place above his top lip, he was beginning to see the old Up return more and more, as his muscle mass increased, and his fears reducing. He was slowly becoming the man he used to be. He looked away from the window, and his eyes gazed over the bed. Taz was curled up into a tiny ball, still fast asleep, looking as innocent as she ever could, her short hair sticking up, as was tradition in the morning. Up smiled, and made his way over, and sat beside her on the edge of the bed wanting more than anything to curl up next to her. His radio suddenly crackled into life, and he pushed himself up again, and made his way over. The radio crackled, and then a voice spoke from the other end of the line.

'Commander Up, sir?'

Up looked behind him. Taz was still asleep. He turned back to the radio.

'Up here.'

'The Admiral arrived ten minutes ago from the _Bright Eye _sir, and a meeting has been requested for 0800 hours.'

Up glanced at the clock. It was half past six. He pressed the return on his radio.

'Thank you Private Krayonder. Is that everything?'

'Yeah man, that's all sir.'

The radio crackled once more, and then the noise died. He heard a small groan behind him. Taz stirred, and Up went back over to sit beside her. Her eyes flickered a few times, and then they opened, bleary and bloodshot. She always looked like she'd been attacked when she woke up. She looked at him, and he smiled.

'_Buenos Dias_' whispered Up, after a pause gently pressing a light kiss to her forehead. She lifted her head a little further off the pillow.

'_Buenos Dias_' Taz slurred. 'It's morning already?'

'Afraid so _mi quierida_' said Up, still smiling. _Dead god, you're beautiful _he thought. He could still feel the small box restingagainst his left leg, knowing full well he had to ask sooner orlater, but something kept him frozen on the side of the bed ._ Come on man, dead god dammit. Keep calm!_

'Whoever invented getting up in the morning is a _gilipollas' _she groaned, her head hitting the pillow again with a thump.

'Well.' said Up, returning back from his thoughts and barely concealing a laugh 'Maybe you should just sleep through today and try getting up tomorrow instead?'

'_Suena bien para mí _' mumbled Taz. Up smiled, and lowered himself down beside her. In time, she shuffled over to him, and he put his arms around her, and held her close. They lay in silence for several minutes. He felt her warmth, the steady beat of her heart, her breath on his neck gave him goose bumps. Up looked down at her, the star studded sky reflected in her eyes. _I love her _he thought. _And I want to be_ _with her forever. But can I really do this? _Up fully aware that

Taz was pressed against the box still lying against his leg, and he wondered if she could feel it, and whether she could hear his thoughts.

'Can we just lie here forever?' Taz said suddenly. Up looked at her, his smile too big to conceal. _Do it now! _Up moved one of his arms from around Taz, and slid his trembling fingers into his pocket. He took a deep breath, took Taz's closest free hand and began.

'Taz, I-'

There was a sudden rapping at the door, and Up stopped talking abruptly. Taz turned her big eyes onto his face, as he said with a shaking voice

'Enter'

Krayonder stuck his head around the door, and Up slowly withdrew his hand from his pocket.

'Sir, the Admiral sent me to tell you that your meeting has been moved to 0700 hours. Says it's urgent, man, I mean, sir.'

Taz withdrew her scathing eyes from Krayonder to look Up in surprise. Of course, he forgot to tell her about his meeting with the Admiral. He looked at the clock, it was ten to seven. He knew she wouldn't like it. He sighed and slid his eyes off Taz's face and on to the nervous looking Krayonder, his eyes still on Taz.

'Thank you Private.'

Krayonder saluted, and left the room. Up gulped, aware that Taz was still looking at him, and stood up realising he had to break the nasty silence that was solidifying between them like ice.

'So, um, Taz...' he cast around for something to say, while Taz simply glared at him. 'You, uh, you gonna get up?' He knew it was a feeble thing to say, but at least it was something. Despite his pathetic attempt to make conversation, something in her face seemed to soften a little.

'_Tal vez_' she said 'Maybe', and threw the covers back over herself. 'Come back tomorrow and I'll think about it.' Came her muffled voice. Up laughed a little, leant over her, and picked her up easily, ignoring her shout of surprise.

'Up, what are you doing you big _idiota_? Put me down!'

Up shrugged, and threw Taz unceremoniously back onto the bed. She looked at him in annoyance, but then she giggled suddenly, and Up was taken back to the day when they were on the hologram generated beach in the south of Mexico back on the _15-A2_, nearly a year previously. The day she told him she loved him. The day he began living again. He looked at her, and he was sure she was thinking of that too. He gulped, his mind on the box in his pocket again, but his nerve had gone, and his arms refused to move. Up looked at Taz again, his heart beating a violent rhythm against his chest, and there was silence between them for a moment. Up gave Taz a sidelong glance, and started to pick his crumpled uniform from off the floor.

'We need to get going... whether you like it or not.' Up said, his left eyebrow raised. Taz pulled a pout face at him, and then she stood up on the bed, making herself at her tallest. 'Well.' said Taz finally. 'If we have to get up, I suppose I should get dressed. Where's my headband?'


	2. Chapter 2 Choices

Chapter Two

_Choices_

Admiral Li sat at her desk, her head full of the events of the previous year. After Space-Claw was discovered as being a betrayer and traitor to the G.L.E.E, it was obvious that he would be dismissed as acting Admiral immediately. What no one foresaw was his sudden and strange disappearance. It was unnerving. A mad scientist, who enjoys playing with the robot enemy, out there somewhere, planning dead god knows what. _I'm sitting in the chair of a maniac. _A sharp knock on the door made Li jump, but then realised who it must be. _Up knew_ _Space-Claw was a double-crossing bastard._

'Enter'

The door was slowly pushed open, and Commander Up came around it. Li could see the newly re-promoted Lieutenant-Commander Taz outside the door, just before it swung shut.

_She will never forgive me, because of what I'm about to say._

_She will hate me forever... But then she's always hated me._

'You wanted to see me, Admiral?'

Li looked searchingly at Up. 'Commander Up. Yes... I did want to see you, as a matter of urgency. Take a seat.' She gestured toward a vacant chair, and Up took it, looking slightly puzzled. 'Now Up, you know how useful you've been to the G.L.E.E over your career. Bringing home the Eagle, finding the robot base star, and your work on the _Cazadora_ was nothing short of heroic.' She cleared her throat slightly.

'And then, Qo'noS' She saw Up wince, ever so slightly. 'And of course, your miraculous recovery from the, ahem, injury, as something I would not have expected from anyone besides you.' She looked at Up, who seemed to be unable to speak, more out of fear than pride. 'Now Up, you have been one of the best Commanders the Space Corp has ever had, and I understand why you want to stay on as Commander, but I no longer think you are proving your best abilities here.' She paused and looked at Up, and his face looked confused, and almost frightened to hear what she was going to say next.

'I'm going to offer you a promotion to Rear Admiral.' Up blinked.

'Beg 'pardon?'

'Up we need you on the front command. There are strange things going on, and I don't like it one bit.' She took a deep breath, and waited for him to respond. Up shifted uncomfortably.

'Admiral, I- I'm very flattered by all this, but...these guys need me. I can't leave them.'

_I can't leave Taz _he thought desperately.

'Also, what does a promotion have to do with things that are going on?'

'I understand your situation Up.' said Li, looking at him with some pity in her eyes, as though she just read his mind.

'And I see what you saying, so let me explain. By accepting this promotion, you will be re-assigned to a top secret mission, and this mission is one I think you really need to be involved in.'

Up waited, holding his breath slightly.

'We sent some of our Rangers on a recon trip, and started picking up signals from the _Centaurus_.'

Up's eyes widened.

'Space-Claw's ship?'

'That's it. If we send our best Rangers out_, _we might be able to bring that son of a bitch in, and find out what in dead god's name he's been up to.' She looked at Up, right in the eyes.

'That's not all. We think that Space-Claw may now be in the league of the chief Autobot, Optimus Prime.' There was no mistaking it this time, Up gave a startled flinch, and looked at

Li with something more than shock in his eyes.

'Li, I can't. You know I can't. I've only just got my strength back dead god-damn.'

Up looked genuinely frightened.

'Up, I wouldn't send you if I didn't think you'd be capable of this mission. And I think this mission will be important to you.' She looked at Up sadly. 'We have received intelligence that Space-Claw and his new... _buddy _have been making plans to experiment on life forms for a new form of Wing Gundam

Zero units, such of which the Galactic League has ever seen.'

Up scratched his leg uncomfortably. 'When you say life

forms-' he began.

'Okay Up, let's not beat about the bush. We believe Space-

Claw's plan is to capture some humans to experiment on. And not just any humans. Rangers.' Up looked horrified. 'We have been told by a reliable source that Space-Claw is only after the best, to ensure complete success with his experiments. I'm afraid.' Li began, wishing she didn't have to say this. 'This includes the Lieutenant-Commander.'

Up's face turned white as a sheet.

'T-Taz?' He drew back. 'If he dares- if he fucking touches her...'

'Up, making death threats to Space-Claw isn't going to make the situation go away. The only way to stop this is to go out there and bring him in.'

Up shook his head. 'If what you're saying is true, Admiral, then I'm gonna stay with Taz, it'll be safer for her.'

'Up, you do realise who he's working with? They have access to technology way in advance of our own. Acting as a human shield will not work, I promise you.' Li said seriously 'So Up, you can sit here and play security, or you can go out there and actually put a stop to it.' She looked right into his eyes. 'This may be our one chance to stop them, before they start another war.' Up didn't say anything. He thought of Space-Claw, his obsession with robots, his experiments, his twisted humanity, he thought of Qo'nos, the setinals, the Autobots, Optimus

Prime, the spinning blade, and Taz, her laugh, her kiss, the ring that was pressed against his leg...

'So Up, what do you say?'


	3. Chapter 3 Memories

Chapter Three

_Memories_

Up left the room in a daze, his ears still burning from what he'd just heard. _It couldn't b_e _true_. Not after all this time, why would Space-Claw even think he could get away with this evil... monstrosity of a scheme. And _Taz... _It was as if he had fallen into one of his own nightmares. When everything seemed so perfect. He should have known it couldn't last. The corridor was long and silent, it made Up's stomach tense. _Should I tell her? Could I tell her? _The questions were spinning through his mind so fast he felt dizzy. He wanted to return to his quarters, and at least try to calm himself down before he could even think about what to do. But he didn't even notice where his feet were taking him, until he found himself outside the gym. The door slid open, and she was there of course, beating the living shit out of the punch bag.

He stood and watched her, taking in every detail, every move, every punch from the fighter he knew so well. Something must have alerted Taz to his presence, she tensed then wheeled around, her fists still raised.

'Oh... hey Up.' She said, lowering her arms her sides, barely panting.

'Hey- hey Taz' Up said, suddenly feeling a rush of panic he couldn't quite explain. Taz looked at him oddly, and he realised he was just standing there, staring at her with his mouth open. He closed it, and started looking at his feet, the feeling of panic still aflutter in his chest.

'You...you want to go?' Taz said uncertainly. Up gulped, struggling to regain his voice. 'Go? Oh...yeah sure thing Taz.' Taz left the gym first, shooting an odd glance back at him, a look that contained something like confusion, perhaps even concern. He supposed he must have looked very strange, standing there gaping after her, but his mind was full of everything that was said in the meeting. What could he do?

His senses had frozen on him. _Space-Claw's plan is to capture some humans to experiment on. I'm afraid this includes the Lieutenant-Commander_. Li's words fluttered around his mind again. He wasn't going to let them get to Taz, he couldn't. He could never live with himself if she got captured, and he willingly stepped aside and let it happen, when it was in his power to stop it. But if she knew what was going on, she

would want to get involved, she was never one to sit back and let others do the fighting, keeping her unaware would keep her away from Space-Claw, and hopefully away from danger. It seemed cruel but Up knew it was the only way to keep her heart beating. And his.

For the rest of the day Up resolved to have the best time he could possibly have with Taz, and tried to push the looming arrival of the drop pod from the _Bright Eye _tomorrow morning to the back of his mind. It was against regulations, but Up didn't see the harm in taking the A2 out for a quick ride, after all what better way to remember the day by breaking a few rules?

'Right then team, where shall we go? We have a super speed engine so we can go to the end of the universe and back again before tea time!' Up chuckled, hitching a smile onto his face, as he set up the navigation controls.

'Logically speaking Sir, that is scientifically impossible-'

'Bullshit Specs! Anything's possible!' He gave a little wink to

Taz as she stood with her back to the wall watching him set up the controls, and he tried his best not to get slip up with her eyes on him.

'Commander Up, I have an idea' It was Bug's first flight on a real Starship, something he had been dreaming of his whole life. Up couldn't possibly refuse, and locked in the coordinates given by Bug. After a while they arrived at a planet that seemed all too familiar.

'Umm...Bug?' Up looked at him in disbelief. _Why in dead God's name would he choose to come here?_

'Bug World?' said Taz, disbelief in her eyes. But the Bug had a huge grin spread across his face.

'You'll see.' And he led the crew out of the ship, and onto the planets surface.

It was a different side to where the crew landed a year before, but it still looked the same, with the deep, thick foliage, the bright blue and purple leaves, and the hot sticky air. Bug led them through the trees, getting deeper and deeper in, until the light could not be seen any more. They walked in silence, but Up could sense that Taz was biting her tongue, trying not to get frustrated at the long, seemingly pointless journey. All of a sudden, when they reached a small clearing, Bug stopped, and February crashed into him, making everyone behind her crash as well, casing a massive pile up in the middle of the forest. Bug laughed.

'Well...here we are!'

Up looked around. The surroundings looked exactly the same as they did half an hour ago. But they waited, and sure enough, the ground seemed to crack apart in front of their very eyes. February nervously grabbed Bug, and Krayonder jumped into Tootsies arms. Taz even had to hold onto Ups arm, for balance of course. No one knew whether it was an earthquake or not, but then they saw small green shoots forcing their way up through the earth. Then a little trickle of water started making its way down the rock opposite them, and which became heavier and faster as they watched, until it became a mini waterfall, which filled up the clearing in a manner of minutes. What was once a deserted clearing had become an oasis, which was so stunning and beautiful, that the crew all took a small intake of breath as one.

'Impossible!' Up heard Specs gasp, but he was grinning. Only Bug would understand how much something like this would mean to everybody.

'According to my geographical sensors, it appears that this clearing is a morph.' Mega Girl stated 'It can transform into any place or thing that you desire.' They all observed the scene, the rippling pool, the sand that had appeared beneath their feet, and the trees that had parted slightly to let in a single ray of sunlight. It was nothing short of paradise. Bug looked around with a delightful smug grin at the sight of the now speechless crew.

Every second that slipped away seemed like a punch in the gut to Up, dreading the moment he would have to tell the crew, and more importantly, Taz, that he had to leave. He decided to divulge this news at the last moment, so there was no time to reflect on regret or sadness, and use the time he had left to let each of them know how important they are to him. It seemed stupid but it was the only chance of a proper goodbye he was going to get.

'Hey Feb, have you got a minute?' he took February to one side and Taz found herself being poked in the arm by Bug

'Is everything okay with Up? It's just... he looks a bit agitated today.' They took a look over to where Up and February where talking. It was hard to see, but Taz swore she saw a tear rolling down February's cheek. She decided to ignore it and looked back to Bug. Bug was the only one out if the whole crew Taz could talk to about Up, only because he seemed to understand about feelings more than most people.

It had been one of the most carefree days of the past year, and everyone was in good spirits. After exhausting themselves in the morph-clearing, they bade each other goodnight and retired to bed one by one.

Night came, and Up and Taz found themselves to be the only ones left in the oasis. Taz could hardly control a smile. She had just had one of the most enjoyable days of her life. Up seemed so happy, so...carefree. She decided to disregard what

Bug had said to her earlier. Up couldn't be agitated, not on a day like today. At that moment Taz wanted nothing more than to be with Up, the man she loved, for the rest of her life, no matter what anyone said. She imagined telling everyone about them being together, maybe even getting married...

'You know what we haven't done for a while?' she asked quietly, she didn't fancy being intruded on by a bunch of giant bugs.

'What?' Up whispered back with a small smile creeping on his face too.

'We haven't practised our dancing _idiota_. I hope to dead God you've improved after last time.' She held out hand to him, a challenge in her eyes. 'Come just remember what Madam LaViolet taught all those years ago.' she put on a very good impersonation of their old teacher that made him chuckle. He took her hand and stepped forward nervously. They waltzed down the make-shift beach to the sound of the planets humming beat, their eyes locked to each other. They had improved massively and this shocked Taz as much as it shocked Up, they continued to dance, up and down, until Taz stumbled on Ups foot and fell on top of him. He held her tight, foreheads pressed against each others. He wished so much that's he would open her eyes. After a while she did, and without hesitation he pulled her closer for a kiss, he expected her to pull away like she always did when he tried, but not this time.

He didn't want it to end. Taz looked at Up and smiled, and he winked and together they stood up. Their faces were hit by the light breeze that ruffled their hair. They took a step forward together, their feet sinking into the soft sand, and they both looked out onto their tiny section of heaven. Taz took Up's hand gently, and led him forward towards the pool, the moonlight reflected in the shimmering waves. They kicked off their boots, and walked around together, their toes making small prints in the sand, to be washed away by the next small wave. They walked by pools edge for some time, feeling the occasional chill as the next wave washed over their bare feet, the only sound was the waves breaking gently onto the sand.

They were nearly at the point where they started walking, and Up had never felt so at peace. He glanced at Taz, who looked exactly the same, and a mischievous smile crept across his face. His foot had just been engulfed by another tiny wave, and he flicked it up so a small amount of spray hit them both.

Taz looked almost shocked, but then she scooped up a hand full of water and flicked it at his face. He did the same, with even more water, and she stopped her hands over her eyes. Up went back to her, concerned, when she suddenly let out a battle cry, and jumped onto his chest, and Up, taken by surprise, toppled backwards into the pool, taking Taz with him. He looked at Taz and raised one eyebrow. He then picked her up, and dunked her straight into the water, just as another wave broke the edge. She emerged, spluttering, and glared at him, then let out a very shrill giggle. The noise was so un Taz like, that he too, burst into laughter, until the next wave came, and the game began again. They continued playing until there was no energy to draw breath. They struggled out from the pool, dripping wet, where they flopped down onto a nearby rock, which had turned smooth and flat, where they lay, struggling for breath.

'You know, Up' Taz wheezed after several minutes. 'If you asked me to do this again tomorrow, I wouldn't say no.'

_Shit_. He had almost forgotten. Almost forgotten the reason for making this day memorable. He looked at her, the sudden urge to confess rose up in him. But then she looked so happy, and more carefree than he had ever seen her. He wasn't going to ruin this perfect day for her. He put his arm around her, and huddled her closer.

'Me too, _mi amor_.' he whispered as he swept a strand of her hair across her face, and looking straight into her beautiful eyes.

'Me too.'

They lay like that for a long time.


	4. Chapter 4 Parting

Chapter Four

_Parting_

'Greetings hu-mans.'

Mega-girl whirred into the mess hall to join February, Bug, Krayonder, Specs and Taz who were sitting, bleary eyed at a nearby table. Up had been called in for another meeting with the Admiral. Tootsie Mega-girl came bouncing in after his wife, his country bumpkin smile plastered over his face as always. 'Mornin' y'all!' he shouted, before pulling his wife in for a pre-breakfast kiss. Taz took enough time to pull a face of disgust, before stalking off to see if that _puta _Admiral Li had let Up go yet. When she saw the door was still security barred, she stormed off to her only refuge – the gym. She almost flew through the door and began circling the punch bag, before attacking with a whirlwind of jabs and hooks, imagining Li's face each time she struck a blow. She couldn't explain why she was feeling so angry, except that she always felt uneasy when she didn't know everything that was going on, particularly when it concerned Up. They were a team. She thought of the day before, how she saw the Up she loved, his sweet kisses on the rock. She would give anything to have that day back, whereas today, Up seemed so tense, he looked positively sick as he went to see the Admiral today. She was convinced he was keeping something from her... She shook all thoughts from her head, and prepared for another attack on the punch bag.

Up heard Li's ready room door slide shut behind him, trying to focus for whatever horrors may await him over the next few months, but he couldn't. The prospect of leaving still pulled that dull knot in the pit of his stomach even tighter. But then he thought of the man who was meant to have saved his life, and knew what he was doing was right, even if it was killing him from the inside. He made his way over to the mess hall, to find the crew of Starship 15-A2 listening to February's constant gossip, while she stroked Bug's antennae, and he realised just how fond of them he had become. They were good soldiers, despite what others thought. _Not my soldiers any more _Up thought desperately, realising the one person who he really didn't want to say that thought out loud to wasn't here, which was strange. _Where is she? _Maybe it would be easier to tell her when they were alone...

'Alright boys and girls, listen up. I- I got something I need to say to all of you.'

The insistent chatter died away, and all six pairs of eyes on him. He cleared his throat. 'Well, see here guys...' _Shit. _Why was it so difficult to say? 'The thing is...I'm not gonna be around for that much longer.' He could see their eyes widen.

'Dead lord, Commander, what the hell do you mean by that?' said Specs.

'Where you goin'?' drawled Tootsie

'You're leaving us?' cried February. Up reeled back. This was worse than he thought. 'Look guys, I want to stay here as your Commander, really, but the Admiral needs me to go and...sort some stuff.' It was bad enough without having to lie about why he was leaving.

'Are you co-ming back?' enquired Mega-girl.

'Well, these things aren't just gonna happen overnight guys, you gotta understand that, I'll be gone a few years, at least.' _If I_ _make it back _he finished in his head. He cleared his throat.

'I'll...I'll catch you guys later OK?' He left, not lingering to hear there disbelieving murmurs, determined to do what he knew must be done.

Taz left the gym, her anger lessened, but still not quite gone. She slowly made her way up to the bridge, and sat by the wall, hugging her knees, thinking of Up, whether the meeting was over, whether he was looking for her. Her thoughts strayed back to the balcony in Europa, where she kissed Up for the very first time. She remembered the thrill that went through her, a brief glimpse of what it felt like to be his, and how it ended too soon...

She thought of how Up changed when the mad scientist Space-Claw brought him back to life, making him something he detested. _I thought he was going to give up. But he never_ _did. He never let me down. _That was the truth of it. No matter what, Up always did everything he could for the Galactic League. For the mission. For her. Her thoughts strayed to last night, and right then, she just wanted him to take her in his arms and never let go.

Up reached the gym door, and held his breath as it slid open. He peered inside, but all was still...She wasn't here. _Dead god_ _where is she? _He thought desperately. He knew he didn't have much time until the transport that would take him to the _Bright Eye _left, which would take him and Li back to Earth, and he had to be on it. He had to... _I can't sit there and do_ _nothing. _How would he feel if Space-Claw and Optimus Prime did create terrifying robot machines, and they targeted the Starship? What if he lost someone he cared about, like Bug,

Feb, the rest of the crew, Taz... his stomach clenched just thinking about it. He approached the door to their quarters, knowing that if she wasn't here, he would have to go without seeing her at all. He prayed to dead god that she was waiting for him behind the door. It slid open. The room was empty. Fighting back the tears, Up sank onto the edge of the bed, knowing he needed to be boarding that transport very soon.

'Hey Commander Up? I couldn't leave without sayin' a proper

goodbye'

'Hey Tootsie' said Up, trying to keep composed. _Why can't Taz show up now? _'Tootsie...' said Up slowly, struck by an idea. 'Ineed you to do one last thing for me.'

'Hell yeah, sir'.

'Find Taz.' said Up firmly. 'Tell her why I'm not here, say goodbye for me, and tell her I'm sorry.'

'I'm on it sir!' Tootsie saluted with enthusiasm. Up returned the salute, and Tootsie turned and jogged up the corridor. Up stood, crossed to the desk, slid open the drawer, and took out the black velvet box. He slid it open, revealing the ring, and placed it onto her pillow, where her head rested only a few

hours ago. He crossed to the door, gave the room one last look, the ring shimmering in the midday sun.

'_Te amo _Taz' Up whispered, before sliding the door shut behind him.


	5. Chapter 5 Secrets

Chapter Five

_Secrets_

It was like her heart had been wrenched in two. Taz refused to believe it. It wasn't true, it couldn't be. Tootsie stood there stupidly, clearly unaware he had delivered news that was killing her soul from the inside.

'Are you all right Lieutenant-Commander?'

_What a ridículo question_!

'Get the hell out of here _hombre_. I need to be on my own.'

He left, looking concerned. When the door had shut, Taz fell to the floor, her head in her hands, fighting back tears. Something she vowed she wouldn't do, after that day in the hospital, when she left him, seemingly forever.

_He left me_. She thought, Tootsie's words finally sinking in. _He left me, and he didn't even say goodbye_. She thought. A singletear rolling down her face that she couldn't hold back. No, itwas a bad joke, surely. Up would never go anywhere withouttelling her, this had to be some kind of practical joke cookedup by the _idiota _crew. She decided to see where Up washiding, before she brutally murdered them all for lying to her.She decided to check the gym first, thinking he might belooking for her in there. She got there as quick as she could,resisting the urge to run there, screaming his name. Shepushed open the door, only to find the room completely emptyand still. The holodeck surely! She turned on the spot to glareat the door opposite. The door to the holodeck firmly shut andlocked. _Where would you like to go? _He had asked thatquestion to her almost a year ago. _Anywhere as long as you're with me Up! _Taz thought desperately. She backed out of theroom, thinking he might still be cooped up in Li's ready room.

She passed by the mess hall, where the rest of the crew were exchanging a tearful goodbye to February and Bug, as they were to be returning to Bug World that afternoon. She couldn't bear to join in with the pleasantries; she had more pressing matters on her mind. She almost flew round the corner, to find the door open. Taz paused in the doorway and saw the Admiral shuffling papers on her desk, a worried look on her face.

_Right, this is it. Don't fuck this one up!_

'Excuse me, Admiral.'

Li looked up, and she didn't look surprised to see her standing there.

'Lieutenant-Commander.' she acknowledged. Taz disregarded the look of pity on Li's face, and decided to dispense with the formalities.

'Where's Commander Up?' Come on where the _joder _is he? Li looked at her for several seconds, and raised her eyebrows.

'The Rear-Admiral left not half an hour ago. He's been reassigned to a new mission.' She stressed the word _Rear-_ _Admiral _carefully. She returned to her papers.

'Rear-Admiral?' Taz said the words slowly, disbelief etched in every line of her face. 'No!' Li looked up shocked, 'Up wouldn't take the promotion. He said he didn't want it. He _told_ me. He wanted to stay here.' _With me_.

'I assure you, he _did _take the promotion.' said Li, her eyebrows raised even further. 'Up got transferred earlier this morning. He'll be on the _Bright Eye _right now awaiting transportation to Headquarters.' Li set her papers carefully down onto the desk, and leant forward. 'I'd have thought he'd have told _you_, of all

people.' Taz turned, seething, wanting to punch that bitch Admiral right in the face, and marched straight back to the bridge and logged on to the ship's computer. There it was. The solid truth. Up was no longer aboard this ship. She slowly made her way to her quarters, and dragged herself to the window, wanting to die. She stared at the stars, already beginning to lose herself in their brightness, their light streaming through the window and into the room beyond. Her breath formed a light mist on the window, obscuring the blackness beyond. She stood there for a while wondering, wondering what she had done wrong, why Up didn't love her any more? The ship passed by a nearby orbiting moon, its silver glare pounded into the room. The light mist had evaporated from the window and Taz saw the dazzling reflection in the window. Something that sparkled in the moonlight that was resting on her pillow.

Up sat amongst all the men and women who he would be working with on the forthcoming mission. They sat there in silence, waiting for the arrival of the Admiral, who arrived back on Earth with Up on the Bright Eye. He wondered if she'd seen Taz before she left, and also if he had the nerve to ask her if she did. All through his journey through space, Up was becoming increasingly uneasy about leaving the ring on her pillow. He had no idea what her reaction would be, no idea what her face would have been like. Hell, he left her without explanation or goodbye. She had every right to hate him. And she probably did. The thoughts did nothing for his morale. He wanted nothing more than to slide into the floor and never be seen again.

'Attention Rangers!'

There was a sound of scraping chairs and they all rose to their feet. Admiral Li walked in. As she took her place at the head of the table, there was a sense of unease rippling through the room, as if a breeze has entered with the Admiral, bringing worry and uncertainty with it.

'At ease.' said Li, and the Rangers sat, the feeling not quite dispersed. 'Well ladies and gentlemen.' Li began. 'I very much hope you all know why you are all here...'

_So you can send us on another suicide mission _Up thought dully.

'The Galactic League Starship Ranger Corp has selected you all to track down the signals from the _Centaurus_, the Starship as you all know to be in the possession of one Dr. Samuel Claw.' The mention of his name made Up clench the table.

'Your job, Rangers, is to follow the trace of signals, board the ship, and bring him in.' the next statement that was spoken felt like she didn't even want to say it, 'Alive if possible.' Up didn't know if he imagined it, but he was sure he saw Li's eyes flick towards him. 'I'll keep this briefing short, I'm sure you all need your rest before the launch tomorrow. I'm sure you are all acquainted with Rear-Admiral Up by now.' A few rangers turned to smile at Up, a few rangers Up recognised from when Taz was at the Academy. 'He will be in charge of this mission, I'm sure you will all be in good hands. Now as for the Starship, you will be setting off in the most advanced ship the Galactic League has to offer, the _Phoenix_.' Up looked up in surprise. The _Phoenix _was one of the new models, equipped with technology people could only dream of ten years back. It was also the most powerful Starship in the whole dead goddamn fleet. Surely they weren't expected to go into battle if it was a simple fact of bringing one person back to Headquarters? He had a strange feeling that the G.L.E.E was keeping something from them.

'Well, I think this wraps things up here.' said Li 'You take off tomorrow, 0800 hours. I suggest you all go and get some rest. Good luck to you all. Dismissed.'

Up left the room almost immediately, thinking of Space-Claw and what he would do if he got his hands on him. But then again they had to find him first.


	6. Chapter 6 Sorrow

Chapter Six

_Sorrow_

The room was dark, and smelt slightly of damp. All that could be heard was the steady beep of complex machinery, and the whirr of a dozen or so robots that were gathered around a long black wooden table. The few humans in the room were clearly recognisable, their skin shone white against the blackness surrounding them. The room was deathly silent, all eyes in the room, human and robotic, were fixed on a high backed chair, where the silhouette of a man could be seen, the light reflecting from his cold metal hands could be seen glinting in his dark eyes. The man, or _part _of a man, moved forward in his seat, bringing his face into the light. Dr. Space-Claw seemed to have aged fifty years in the last twelve months, his face lined, not by age, but by anger. His eyes burned with an intense flame, and were filled with hate, and reflected the sheen on his metallic limbs.

'Gentlemen.' His cold, cruel voice shot through the silence like gunfire, making everyone on the vicinity shiver. All the humans drew themselves up to their fullest extent, but this could not compare with the robots, their size dominated the table, casting shadows that flickered in the bare torchlight.

'I would like to begin by saying that it is an honour to be a part of this... _operation_.' Space-Claw chuckled as he inclined his head at the group assembled before him. 'I am aware that mankind and robots have had their differences in the past, but I am planning to bring this era to an end, and it is of this matter which I wish to discuss with you today.' The men flicked their eyes up at this remark. The robots remained emotionless, their mechanical brains beeping sinisterly in the silence.

'I will ask all of you here a question. What was the reason for the Robot War to break out in the first place?' The odd question reverberated around the room, but the silence remained amongst the men. 'Anyone?' said Space-Claw delicately, his voice pure poison. The silence intensified, one man willing the next to speak for him.

'Because of the robots, Sir.' All heads turned towards the young man sitting at the back end of the table. 'They retaliated to the slavery.'

Space-Claw nodded. 'And your name is, young man?'

The man seemed surprised at the question. 'Reddfield, Sir. James Reddfield'

'Ah, yes, I remember you. And you are correct. The robots retaliated to the force of slavery of their human captors.'

Space-Claw inclined his head to Reddfield, who seemed to be steadying himself. Unlike the rangers sitting near him who kept glancing from James to Space claw. Space-Claw addressed the room at large. 'I would like to put forth-'

'But that's not all, sir' All eyes were on Reddfield again, everyone not quite believing what they were hearing. There was even a gasp or two. Space-Claw's face had not change, but when he spoke, his voice was silkily smooth.

'Go on.' It was a challenge, daring the young man to speak his mind. All humans seemed to be holding their breath. The robots on the other hand kept their crisp metal eyes on the young lad, making it look almost intimidating. Reddfield had turned a light grey. He swallowed, and burst into speech. One by the sound of it he had prepared, he stood, making him level with the robots.

'The robots were in charge of the most powerful weapons in the universe, and the humans wanted the weapons for themselves. But when a fair trade was agreed between robot and human leaders, the weapons in exchange for their freedom, the robots double-crossed the humans, and gave them an unstable radiation bomb, which was programmed to only be detonated when it came into contact with oxygen. So the moment the crate was opened, the humans, and also the entire planet they were on was blasted to smithereens. After the robots had safely vacated it of course.' Reddfield paused, and the humans looked at each other in disbelief. 'Humankind only enslaved the robots to make sure our race was protected. The Robot War was totally unprovoked.' He stood there breathing heavily.

The following silence was so deathly still it could have been sliced with a sponge. Eyes went back and forth from Space- Claw to Reddfield. Space-Claw remained perfectly still, his hands together, almost in prayer. He caught eyes with the nearest Autobot, and smirked. The smirk became a quiet chuckle.

'You are a brave man, James Reddfield.' Reddfield's face flooded with relief. 'I do know how much you have already done for our cause, and I believe this bravery should be rewarded. You will have the honour of being the very first subject of our operation.'

Reddfield looked puzzled, and for the first time, slightly afraid.

'_Subject _sir?'

Space-Claw smirked. 'Can I introduce you to our new

Commander-In-Chief and head of the robot forces? I think you all know Optimus Prime?'

_Rrr. Rrr. Rrr._

Reddfield froze, his face deathly white. All humans shared this fear, the sound of footsteps made the room tremble. The doorway was suddenly obscured by a huge figure, which moved closer to the trembling young man at the end of the table. The long tentacles shot through the air, and lifted the man as easily as if he were a rag doll, and carried him out of the room. His screams punctured the silence like a pin in a balloon, and as the young man's shrieks of terror faded away, Space-Claw sat back in his chair, as if nothing had happened.

'Gentlemen.' he began again, his voice full of cruel purpose. The men who had watched the scene slowly turned back to Space Claw eyes wide in shock. 'I would like to make you a proposition.'


	7. Chapter 7 Mission

Chapter Seven

_**Mission**_

She just stood there, frozen against her view screen, and stared at the tiny box lying open on her pillow. After a while Taz could stand there no longer, and slowly but surely made her way towards her bed. The ring sparkled as she lifted it in her palm. Why she thought. Why would he leave me if he wanted this? She could feel the tears coming, but this time instead of holding them back as she swore she would, she let them run down her cheek. This morning she noticed Up was looking nervous, and now she knew why. And now he had gone, without a word, without an explanation. Taz could feel mixed emotions building up inside her, confusion, sadness, anger, all her thoughts mixed and muddled in her head. She didn't know quite how to feel, she wanted to see Up so badly it hurt, but if she did see him, she wasn't sure whether or not she would have wanted to kiss him or break his nose. She walked to the window, staring at the emptiness of space, wondering where he was now.

His new quarters had much more space than he needed, the room looked empty, with the few of his possessions he brought along with him scattered around. But the true emptiness he felt was the fact that Taz was not here with him, where he needed her to be. But he knew he was doing the right thing, even if his heart was saying something else. She will be safe he repeated to himself, trying to convince himself that it would all be worth it, surely once Space Claw was caught, he could go back her. She couldn't stop the tears no matter how hard she tried, curled up on her bunk, refusing all food and rejecting any company.

You big idiota why did you not ask me sooner you would have got your answer, you had years to ask, and you wait until the day you leave me?

'Taz...' Krayonder's voice came from behind the locked door, along with other whispers from the rest of the crew. 'There's a briefing from Admiral Li in half an hour, I... I just thought I'd let you know...Do you want any-'

'No _hombre_! Just go.' Taz spat, but soon after, she knew it sounded cruel and uncalled for, but right now, all she could think about, all that was buzzing around her head was Up, the warmth of his human skin against hers, only hours ago. Their relationship was certainly developing into something more than just lovers, but never, ever in a million years, did Taz ever consider marriage. But to leave without saying goodbye... No.

No way would Up do that to her, something didn't add up, and it was starting to make her suspicious.

'Rear Admiral, you have a meeting with your new

Commanding officer, Commander Tyler on the bridge at 1600 hours' said a muffled voice from the radio attached to Up's utility belt.

'Thank you Ensign.' Meetings, meetings, was this his new life?

But if it was helping get the Starship any closer to finding out where Space-Claw was hiding then he would just have to grin and bear it. The though of Space-Claw even considering joining alliance with robots gave him the shivers, but to experiment on innocent rangers was beyond ordinary evil in Up's mind. If Li was right and Taz was in danger of being one of Space-Claw's twisted experiments, then nothing was going to stop him beating the shit out of the mother fucker. He would fight for her until his human heart stopped beating. _But you didn't tell her that yourself, did you, and now she probably hates you _Up thought bitterly. _But if you still love her, fight for her. _And that was exactly what he was going to do.

Even poor Tootsie could see the tension building between Taz and the Admiral, the short briefing, took place in Up's old ready room. _Nice touch _Taz thought even after their little moment before, Li still had the nerve to make the situation more uncomfortable for her. The Admirals presence was through via video link, which stopped Taz trying to throw a punch. Specs was busy away at her famous Spectrometer, and often exchanged a pathetic girly smile towards Krayonder, who gave the odd wink back. _Is this punishment, is someone trying to mock me? _Finally Li had finished sorting her papers at her desk (from the safety from her own Starship)

'Now ensigns, I know this is a difficult time for you, losing a member of your team, but I'm sure you will be in safe hands with your Lieutenant-Commander in charge.' It almost seemed apologetic the way looked at Taz, but she could barely look her in the eye.

Li continued 'As you are aware, the human colonists are still in need of a new home, therefore I am handing it over the delightful task of setting up home back down on Bug World.'

'But Admiral' Specs said quickly, a bit too quickly in Taz's mind, 'After our last attempt we found that it was impossible to set up any kind of accommodation for humans due to the native bugs. It was true, no-one on board wanted to live down their even February who was dating a native, found the planet quite grotesque to live down there permanently.

'I understand Ensign, however now that the G.L.E.E. and the ambassador of Bug World have made a treaty' the slight mention of Bug even made Taz give a little smile, it was nice that the little bug was trying his best.

'We now have ways to live in harmony, unlike last time.'

'I think what Ensign Specs means, is that due to the landscape and nature of the planet it would be unsuccessful to build a hostile for the colonists, besides we have no information if there is plenty of sufficient food supply of drinkable water!' Taz had well… had enough, Starship 15A2 had been carrying around those human icicles for over a year, and still there was nowhere they could call home.

Taz was happy no one had noticed the ring hanging from her dog tags, she wanted to keep it close to her heart so that when they are finally reunited she can give him is answer. If he still wanted it that is.

'Yes, yes I understand your argument Lieutenant-Commander, that is why I would like you and your team to carry out a survey of all the surrounding areas of the Hive, I'm sure the locals will be glad to oblige.' A small smile crept onto Li's face, 'That's all, Rangers. I would like you to return back to the Academy when your report is ready,.' _As long as she's out of the way _was the last thing Li thought before the link was disconnected. Without hesitation, Taz lead the crew down to the drop pods.

'Right, people, you heard the Admiral, get down there and find the least horrifying place to put these ice cubes. You guys go visit Bug, I'm sure he'll love to see you guys, I'll carry out the survey.' She wanted to be alone, even Mega-Girl could see that.


	8. Chapter 8 Alert

Chapter Eight

_**Alert**_

The crew of the _Phoenix _passed by the next three months without any trouble to speak of, except for one poly-morph invasion, which claimed the life of one ensign, when the beast concealed itself in his room pretending to be his toothbrush. The death shook the crew, but one casualty in three months in deep space was beating the odds for a maiden-voyage. They had passed through seven sectors of the galaxy, and still there was no sign of the _Centaurus _even with the ships best scanners, and the most experienced men on the case.

They flew into what seemed to be the farthest reaches in the galaxy, and further still, but still no sign of Space-Claw. Up kept to his quarters a lot, he had paper work increasing by the day, reports, and many other useless pieces of paper to fill in. What he wouldn't give to back as a Commander again, in the thick of the action, instead of being trapped behind a desk all day. He remembered how much it suited Tripp, when he first got the post, and how he swore never to take the promotion if his life depended on it. Tyler seemed like a good enough Commander however, and when they first met, there was a definite likeability about him, and after all the reports from his previous Starship, there was no doubt he was suitable for the role of Commander, but it was very difficult not to feel jealous. Instead of being hunched over his desk, taking mouthfuls between paragraphs, Up decided to eat in the cafeteria. He needed the change of scenery after hours cooped up in his office, and he had enough of the same four walls. The cafeteria wasn't busy, which Up liked. He didn't want to be sat in a gale of noise, but then again, he never liked the silence. He collected what was marked out as beef stew, but looked like something very different. Trying not to pull a face, he sat down on his own, on a table in the far corner of the room. As he played with the pile of brown slop on his plate with his fork, his mind took him elsewhere. He imagined going home, seeing the faces of everyone he loved, Taz running at him, shouting yes, taking her in his arms, and to hell with what the others thought. He was so deep in the realms of his imagination, he didn't even notice the young ensign that had approached him.

'Excuse me Sir. Do you mind? Every other table's full.' Up snapped out of his daydream almost immediately

'Of course ranger, sit down.' gesturing at the seat opposite. And the young boy did. He looked young, no older than twenty, his red hair was vibrant, and it fell across his face boyishly, and a smile on his face that lit up his eyes.

'I'm Ensign Johnson by the way sir, and I'm a big fan. I've been waiting to talk to you ever since that mission with the Admiral, sir, I read about how you found out about Space-Claw's plan to capture the alien bugs, and how you and your crew stopped him and how you helped stop the Robot War, which is amazing, I don't know how you do it, but you're my hero, sir!' he said this all very fast, his face reddening by the word, until it touched the roots of his flaming hair. Up was touched; no one had talked to him since he arrived, apart from Tyler. It was nice to know there was someone who knew he existed.

'Thank you, ensign, that's very gratifying.' Up smiled, as the young boy clumsily gathered his empty plate and glass onto his tray, and awkwardly stood up. 'Thank you so much for your time, sir, it really means a lot to me!' Up looked at the young boy, who was looking at him with a mixture of fear and admiration in his eyes. 'You take care of yourself now.'

Johnson gave a small smile, and went to deposit his dirty cutlery in the sink, occasionally shooting the odd glance back at Up. Over the next few days, wherever Up went, he seemed to be running into Johnson everywhere. Whether it would be in the

gym, the cafeteria, the bridge, even the toilet, and he never missed an opportunity to ask questions, which at first, Up found flattering, but after four days of the same thing, it was starting to get a little annoying.

'Is it true that you went undercover to the Galactic Ambassadors' Ball? Did you really take down a Bird Of Prey with your bare hands? Did you actually get _sawn in half _by Optimus Prime?' The questioning went on forever, and it was only because there were other Rangers watching that stopped Up from screaming at him to shut the hell up.

For the next two days, whenever Up saw Ensign Johnson, he quickly dived into the nearest door, or corridor, to escape another round of interrogation, and began eating in his office again. Finally, Up stopped seeing him around, and could go where he needed without constantly looking over his shoulder for a red-haired boy shouting his name.

It was two weeks after Up went to the cafeteria, and he and Tyler were sitting in his office, with a glass of port in one hand, and a cigar in the other.

'So, tell me Up.' Tyler said, taking a drag on his cigar, and exhaling, creating a perfect 'O'. 'Who's that little ginger kid who's been following you around?'

Up contemplated this question through a sip of port. 'Possibly the most annoying kid I've ever met in my life, and I've met some little shits at the Academy I can tell you. He wouldn't stop following me around, and he seems to know more about me than I do, it freaks me out'

'Maybe he's got a little crush?' Tyler suggested. Up retaliated by dropping his cigar ash in his port. 'Well it looks like you've got yourself a little fan there. It must be nice to be such a celebrity.'

Up glared. 'Have you ever had a kid try to ask you about your life when you're trying to piss?'

Tyler smirked. 'No, I suppose not. I hope you told him where to stick his nose?' Up laughed.

'Well I've been avoiding him best I can, and I think he's _finally _got the message.'

At that point, there was an almighty crash, and all lights in the room cut. 'Dead God what was that?' Up fumbled with his desk, and produced two flash-lights, and handed one to Tyler. They flicked them on, and made their way to the door. It slid open, to total blackness, and the voices of confused Rangers.

Up and Tyler made their way to the bridge, which was also in blackness. All the lights on the dashboard were out. The power was gone, the ships engines were dead. The door slid open behind them, and they were joined by the tech team.

'Williams, what happened to the lights? Not trying to cut down on our electric bills are we?'

'No Sir I'm afraid not.' Williams said, whilst trying to boot up the scanners, 'It looks like we've flown through a solar wave, but the funny thing is we had no sign of it on the scanners before, it just came up out of thin air.'

'And that's funny _how_? Are you saying we have no power?'

'Not entirely, our back-up power supply is set to start in five to ten minuets. We're trying to find traces of the wave now but it looks like it's vanished.'

'Vanished?' Before Tyler could go on, the bridge door opened, and the medical team came in.

'All the power in the sick bay has gone sir! What's going on?'

The medic looked worried, nothing like this had happened on a Starship before even when Up had started in the G.L.E.E, power failures were extremely rare. Just then, there was a hum, and one by one, the lights flicked on the dashboard, and the engine buzzed into life. Cheers were heard from across the ship.

'Well, there's the back-up.' muttered Up. 'Any idea how long it'll last?' directing his question at Williams.

'With emergency preserves, I would say about twenty-four hours.'

'Williams!' one of the others from the tech team had their eyes glued on the ships computer. 'Take a look at this!'

Williams hurried over, and his eyes scanned the screen 'Dead god-damn it!' he breathed.

'What is it?' said Tyler in alarm. Williams stood up, looking grave. 'I think I know why the power broke.' Up and Tyler looked at each other. 'When we passed by that sun, that's when the power cut, right?' They nodded. 'But it says that sun hasn't been producing solar flares for over two billion years. _But _we also passed _this _asteroid at quadrant 98-7X at the same time, which according to the ships computer, was once the source for a deadly lab virus, initially created as a weapon, but went wrong, and the project was scrapped, but the virus itself was never destroyed properly, the asteroid was just blasted through the universe, nearly five hundred years ago. So it's had plenty of time to breed, multiply and mutate.'

'So then, what's that got to do with the power going out?' said Tyler.

'Well we passed the asteroid at the same time as the sun, right? So the virus must be drawn to warmth! When it was fired from the laboratory, it was locked onto the hottest thing in the vicinity. So... it must have been attracted to our engines! And when it passed through, it tripped the power supply...that's why we lost power.' Williams looked pleased with himself, but Up caught Tyler's eye, and he knew they were both thinking the same thing.

'What is it actually capable of?' Tyler asked.

'Apparently it has the power of individual thought, movement, and even possession.'

'Possession?' Ups insides went cold. He could imagine it, walking through the ship, unable to control his body, grabbing an ensign's throat, unable to stop himself...

'So...where is it now?' asked Tyler, bringing Up back to reality. Williams looked back at the computer, and gulped. 'We lost it!'

Ups stomach clenched .'So what does this mean?'

Williams sat down, rubbing his forehead. 'Either it's gone or...' he raised his head, and looked Up straight in the eye. 'It's gone inside someone.'

The next ten minutes were full of chaos. All rangers had been summoned to the bridge, where Commander Tyler told them what he knew.

'...and if you see anyone acting remotely suspicious, please for dead Gods sake, alert someone immediately. It could be a matter of life and death.' the Rangers looked horrified, and immediately looked at their neighbour for suspicious activity.

'I trust you all to be sensible about this. Don't go wandering off on your own, especially after hours. Dismissed.'

There was a mass cluster at the door, as the crew battled to leave the room. Up looked over to Tyler, who was looking grim. 'Do you think they'll listen?' Tyler looked over at the remaining huddle of ensigns, at the medical team in a hurried discussion in the corner, and the tech team behind them. 'I really hope so Up. I really hope so.' Up looked at the twelve ensigns who remained in the room, each with the same worried look on their face, and one with bright red hair...

'Sir! Hey sir!'

'Oh no.' muttered Up. 'Hello Johnson.'

'Hey sir, I haven't seen you for a while, there's so much we need to catch up on! I was just thinking when I saw you that I needed to talk to you because-' he paused, his hands on his stomach, his face scrunched up in pain.

'Are you feeling alright ensign?' Tyler asked in alarm, waving the medic over.

'No, not really, I'd been meaning to tell you when I got in the room, I've been feeling really weird lately, I've been to places without even knowing I'd gone there...'

_WHAT! _Tyler whirred around, and Ups stomach became a tight knot. _It couldn't be._

'...must've been that casserole I had for lunch, and I do sleepwalk sometimes, but never in the middle of the day...'

'Johnson!'

The boy froze, surprised at Ups outburst. 'When did you start feeling weird? Was it when the power cut?'

Johnson paused, brow furrowed. 'Yeah...now you mention it, I...' Johnson retched suddenly, and Up backed away hastily. The boy then fell onto all fours, heaving, until he coughed, bringing up a load of pus and blood. There were shouts of disgust from the men, as mucus began to dribble down the boys chin.

'Do something!' Up screamed at the medic team, but they recoiled, and shook their heads. Johnson had collapsed into the pile of vomit and pus, and his muscles started to twitch. His body seemed to be totally out of his control. He rolled back and forth, his legs and arms flailing, and then all of a sudden, he became completely still. There was a revered hush, and Tyler shook his head slowly. Most of the men were turning away, tears in their eyes, when there was a terrible groan. They whipped around again, and Johnson was moving. The crew murmured words of disbelief, as the boy placed his hands on the floor, and heaved himself up into a sitting position. Then, just as suddenly, he stood up.

'Sit down, son, we just need to-' the medic never got to finish his sentence. At the sound of his voice, Johnson leapt at him, the gleam of the blood reflected in his eyes. He pounced on the medic, pinning him against the wall. The medic was too stunned to react, as Johnson slowly prised his mouth open.

'Johnson?' Up said cautiously. 'Put him down. We just want to-' Up couldn't finish, as at that point, Johnson's hand had disappeared down the medics throat. Everyone froze, too stunned and repulsed to move. The medics face had gone purple, as the hand was forced further and further down his oesophagus. His hands scrabbled at Johnson's arm for a few seconds, and then he became still. There was an intake of breath from the crew as Johnson began to laugh manically, louder and louder, until it became hysterical, his laugh bouncing off the cabin walls. There was an incredibly loud bang, and the laughter stopped. Johnson looked around to see who made the noise, and withdrew his hand from the dead medics throat. He looked to each side, up, and finally down, to see the hole in his chest, and the blood creeping further out on his uniform. He gave a tiny whimper, and fell onto the floor, blood trickling from his mouth. The crew stood there with open mouths, as Up lowered the gun.


	9. Chapter 9 Nightmares

Chapter Nine

_**Nightmares**_

The days seemed like weeks, months even, but every passing star was a knife to Up's beating heart. The aftershock of the previous week had died down, but Up felt nothing but betrayal. Johnson had respected him, looked up to him, and Up had killed him. He thought of the young red-haired boy, no older than twenty. He would have had a family, friends, a life and a future, and it had all been taken away.

'I'm sorry.' Up whispered into his hands. 'I'm sorry it ended this way.'

The door behind him slid open, and there were footsteps across his quarters. Up felt a hand on his shoulder, and he looked up. Tyler stood over him with a look of understanding in his eyes. He pulled him up a chair, and Tyler sat, still looking at Up.

'You had to do it you know.' Up didn't raise his head, he just continued to look at his boots.

'Don't blame yourself, Up. If you didn't do it, we'd all be dead.' Up fought back the sudden rush of tears. 'Yeah well, at least he's at peace.' he knew how pathetic and childish those words sounded, but Tyler seemed to understand.

As the days dragged by, further and further away from Taz his ship took him, he kept to his quarters, not caring what the crew thought. He couldn't get her out of his mind, dreaming seemed real, swirling across the Europa, holding hands on the soft Mexican sand, her loving embrace all never leaving from his thoughts. The mission so far had lead them across galaxies but yet no sign of a evil mad scientist hit the radars. Sure, the odd rouge robot ship would be destroyed but that's not what Up wanted, today was like any other, he sat on the end of his bunk clutching the small tattered book of folk tales that belonged to Taz, the only thing that reminded him of her. The silence was broken by an ensign knocking on his door, quickly covering the book and straightening up, Up allowed entrance, and the head of the tech team had entered

'Sir, there's a distress call from a planet below. Do we have permission to answer?'

'Yes, of course, Williams. ' Up needed the distraction, something to help clear his head, anything to stop the same numb pain. He followed him to the bridge, where he met Commander Tyler. Soon after, a drop pod was sent down to the small deserted planet. A message was sent to the Commander, and Tyler took it with pace.

'Bring him up immediately and check him into the sick bay as quickly as possible.' He turned to Up. 'Rear-Admiral, I think you may want to see this.'

The boy was only about twenty-one, too young, much too young. He lay there on the hospital bed, his breathing sharp and rapid. Up observed him, his hair, matted in blood, lay tangled across his face. But that was not what Up was concerned about. The skin on the entire left side of his face was missing, blood soaked skin ran into bare, stripped flesh. Up knew who was behind all this; they had to be close now. He sat next to the boy, trying not to stare at his mutilated face. It hurt him to see the boy so much in pain. He stirred, and his right eye fluttered open.

'Welcome back son, we weren't sure you were going to pull through' Up spoke slowly, trying not to agitate the kid, 'What's your name?' Up asked, well aware that the boy may be unable to speak. The boy's face twitched, and his deformed mouth opened 'James' the boy croaked, every breath seemed to be a struggle.

'James...Reddfield. Where...where am I?'

'Relax, James, you're perfectly safe, you're on board the _Phoenix_, a G.L.E.E battle ship.'

'He... just asked for assistance, I never wanted to help him, you...you have to believe me!'

'He?' Ups insides crawled with anger, they had to be so close now...

_'_Next thing, I was on the operating table. I didn't even see his henchman, they just drugged me and then I was lying on a planet somewhere I...I cant...' The boy was in tears Up knew he needed to find out where Space-Claw was hiding, if he had already started experimenting on people, they needed to catch him, fast.

'Look, James, if you just try to remember where you were when this happened, we can find him and stop him.' James looked at him, his eyes full of pain, and he seemed to realise something

'I...I know you.' The boy was staring into his eyes. _'_He..._he _knows you_'_

Up averted his eyes and said bitterly 'He didn't give me a lot of choice, much like you. Can you remember where he is?'

The boy saw the impatience in his eyes, and found the breath to say the one word that made Up shiver.

'_Qo'noS._'


	10. Chapter 10 Regrets

Chapter Ten

_**Regrets**_

Being back on Bug World felt strange, the first time Taz had set foot on that planet was her first mission back with Up, the mission that brought them back together after the two years on the Bright Eye. The long walk to the Hive entrance was painfully slow but after two months or so of making the trek back and forth, it was getting easier, Taz thought if Li wanted this report as a matter of importance she could wait a few months. Tootsie was smiling joyfully holding his wife's hand

'I can't wait to see how February is getting along down here, last I heard she's really got to grips with them bugs' It was obvious that February's relationship with her alien boyfriend wasn't going to be simple, but then again, neither was a robot and human relationship. February decided that she wanted to stay with Bug, after all his life span as a bug wasn't very long. So moving down there was a big decision for February. Everyone supported her decision, even Taz thought it was a good idea; anyway it would be cruel to keep them apart. They all just hoped she wouldn't have a mental breakdown by trying to handle bug life.

Once the wall of the Hive was in sight, Taz dodged out the way of a bouncing February who tried to get a hug out of her, it had took at least six months, but Taz had finally managed to get February to call her by her real name even though Taz did tell her on countless occasions. Taz had never seen the crew this happy since before Up left. Specs and Krayonder were talking to Bug who was proudly showing his ambassadors badge that he wore, Tootsie and Mega Girl on the other hand were being questioned by February on their relationship. Barely dodging another attempt of a flying tackle hug from February, she decided that if anyone was going to find places for the colonists, it was inevitably going to be her. So with that, she mumbled something about searching the planet, and hurried off into the wilderness. Bug World hadn't really changed. The same beautiful colours, the hum of each insect as they buzzed near the group of rangers. Krayonder seemed to be the honey of the group, every minute brought a different creature to hover over him, or even landing on him. He didn't mind of course, but he did jump a little when a giant bee thought he was a flower and sprayed pollen all over him.

'Guys it great to see you' Bug crawled over happily from a group of stick insects already in conversation. 'I didn't know you guys were coming down today! We though you had everything you needed.'

'Well you know man, once you get us there's no goin' back!' and all the Rangers chuckled at this. A strong friendship had been made between Bug and Krayonder in the last year, they seemed to have a lot in common.

'So anyway what's the gossip up at the A2?' February asked 'Anything interesting?'

'Well, Taz just wants to keep coming back down but we don't care, the more she wants to keep coming down the more can see you guys!'

'Aww that's sweet thanks guys!' Bug blushed.

'OH MY DEAD GOD! Hey guys! Actually, while your here, do you mind if you help us out with a little itsy problem?' It was obvious that February knew everything about Bug World, after numerous tours from Bug to help conquer her fears. She seemed to know a lot more about the planet than Specs's spectrometer.

'Problem?' Specs raised her enormous glasses up at Bug in concern.

'Don't worry it's nothing serious, it's more a mystery really, and it's just well...'

'What Buggy is trying to say is that the mammals on this planet have the same life span as the insects, which is something like two years, they're like... living longer, there's one mammal that has been here for at least five years, which is the cutest. We just can't figure it out!' If there was one thing the crew had learnt about Specs over the past year, was that she loved mysteries. 'Lead the way Bug, I think we can solve this mystery once and for all!'

It was quite a forest, towering trees and flowers bursting out like huge blossoming jewels. Taz thought she had walked into a parallel universe, this was not the last forest she had ran through last year, when they were fleeing from the bugs. This was the last place she needed to look which was a pity she enjoyed these little walks, it gave her time to think. She clutched the ring in her sweaty palm, hanging from her dog tags as she walked through the hanging green vines, steeping over all sorts of multi-coloured flowers, she walked until she couldn't walk any more. She made it to the edge of a low cliff overlooking a large lake that swirled with shoots of pink and orange colliding with each other. The water looked so inviting, something to wash away the bitter memories of the last few months, the little comments from of Krayonder, the solitude of her quarters. Within a few minutes she had scrambled down the cliff, stripped down to her tank top and underpants, and dived into the cool, fresh water. She dunked her head into the water listening to the soothing sounds of the lake life. She shut her eyes and let herself sink to the bottom of the lake until her feet touched the soft moss.

'Taz?' came a man's voice, reverberating across the rippling water. 'Taz!'

All the hairs on the back of Taz's neck had stood on end.

_No...no it couldn't be... _'_Taz!_'_ Up!_ Taz thought, opening her mouth to scream his nameback and incidentally swallowed a mouthful of lake water.After a minute of choking, her eyes streaming, she blinkedrapidly to bring them into focus on the man standing on theshore of the lake. 'Taz!' said Krayonder, his face ablaze withexcitement. 'You need to come and see what we found! Itcould just be a miracle!


	11. Chapter 11 Returning

Chapter Eleven

_**Retuning**_

_Qo'noS ._

The sound of the terrified young man's voice echoed in Up's brain as he hurried down through the long hallway to the bridge. No. Space Claw couldn't be where James had said, he just can't. There was no way Up could return there not after his last visit. He thought of James, and how he almost looked ashamed when in questioning. Well who wouldn't be, stupidly betraying your own kind for the likes of a mad scientist like Space-Claw! But there had to be more than that. Up told himself no-one would just give themselves up without a reason that could possibly be solved with the help of Space-Claw, no one is that desperate... _or are they? _No, the boy had to have been a prisoner, a Ranger in the line up for those horrifying experiments that they were set out to stop. Taz came into his thoughts immediately, he thought about her stranded and imprisoned back on the very planet that changed their lives forever. The thought sent a chill down his spine. _This cannot be happening. _The walk seemed endless. He passed fellow rangers; they looked so happy, unaware of the terrors that could be awaiting them. Up finally arrived at the doors of the bridge. He took a deep breath as he approached Commander Tyler who was busy giving out orders to ensigns of the mission. What was Tyler going to say that would make the situation real? He stood for a fair few minuets, gathering his thoughts, trying hard to make out a sentence in his head from the jumble of words that were dotting around in his own mind. Tyler soon spotted Up standing behind him, and seemed pleased to see him.

'Ah Rear Admiral! I hope you have some good news for us?

Any word yet from the victim?' Up looked straight into his eyes and made sure Tyler knew it was serious. The smile from his face dropped, all eyes turned to Up, he had never felt so pressured. He couldn't get his sentence out, so he simply said-

'Qo'noS'

'Excuse me?' the Commander looked shocked. A few whispers began to start, as well as a few gasps. Up pushed on regardless.

'I said Qo'noS, Space Claw is based on Qo'noS. The boy only just managed to tell me!'

'But…that's where-' Tyler began.

'Yes I know.' said Up bluntly, not even bothering to let him finish his sentence.

'Right then.' Tyler pulled himself straight 'Ensign Brooks, set coordinates for The Klingon home-world. You know where to go' the ensign Tyler had directed his order to looked at him with fear in his eyes, but carried out the command anyway.

'Let's bring this bastard home.' Up watched the scene, Tyler setting up at the controls, buttons were being pressed and lights were turning on and off as the Starship set of for the destination that many who had heard the old legends feared. Tyler, who sensed Up still behind him tapped him on the shoulder, and took him to one side, Up looked at him quizzically.

'Up, I'm saying this as a friend more than a Commander, so I hope you take no offence to what I'm gonna say.' Up nodded for him to continue, casually checking over his shoulder to the ensigns at work.

'I know this is going to be a very uncomfortable situation for you, and I think it would be wise if you were to be carrying out your duties in your own quarters.' Up who had been watching the other rangers quickly glanced back to Tyler.

'A ranger will collect you when we arrive.' Up glared at Tyler. But he was right. This mission wasn't going to be easy, especially in the light of their new information.

'You seem to be well organised Commander?' He didn't mean for it to come out quite so spitefully, but it was what he was thinking, but he was sure his suspicions were confirmed, as Tyler looked slightly embarrassed at his next statement,

'Its the Admiral sir, she informed me to make this decision if it came to this, she didn't want you to feel pressured. I agree, personally, and again I am speaking as your friend, as well as your colleague.' His eyes were full of understanding, not pity and Up respected that. An ensign escorted Up back to his quarters, where a mixture of feelings fell on top of him all at once. Out off all the dead God damn places it had to be Qo'noS. The injury he had got over, but to go back to the place he nearly lost everything... Why?

Was Space-Claw now playing with his mind as well as his heart? Did he plan this? Or was it purely coincidence? _Just get in and get back out with that son of a bitch, then I can go back. _That seemed to be his new motto, the only thing that got him through the day. But it was true, the sooner they captured Space-Claw and brought him to justice, the quicker she would be back in his arms... _if she'll take me_. Just leaving her without a goodbye still haunted him. He dreamed about it, her running up to him, of her jumping into his arms, shouting 'yes', the crew being just as happy to see him. He dreamt of the day he would place the ring on her finger, saying 'I do'. But most nights that's not what he dreamt. He just saw him returning to the ship, finding out the crew didn't care, and Taz walking towards him slowly staring at the ring, then she just sneered, threw the ring in the airlock, then broke his nose. But trying to find out would be worth it. The next week would be a struggle, the return to Qo'noS would be long, but Up didn't care. He had lots of paperwork to get through. What he wouldn't give to be back out there, giving orders with Taz at his side, he wondered what she and the rest of the crew would be doing, if they had a new mission, a new Commander? He would find out soon enough, if he made it through the next few weeks anyway.


	12. Chapter 12 Captured

Chapter Twelve

_**Captured**_

Whatever Specs and Mega Girl found down on Bug World it was surely making the science team back at the Academy excited. Many spectacle wearing rangers in lab coats ran around the science deck carrying this and that, test tubes filled with different coloured potions, steaming, fizzing and bubbling the moment more liquid was added. Taz walked around the hallways of the Academy. It was embarrassing enough having to be dragged from the water by Krayonder but now she had to see Li in half an hour with no report. _I'm screwed _she thought. She didn't even notice the woman walking directly in front of her until the crashed into each other. Taz quickly looked up to tell the _idiota _ensign to get the hell out of the way, but before she could...

'Taz!'

'Rosie?' She stared at the woman standing before her, red hair down past her shoulders, back in her old ensign uniform, she reminded Taz of the first time she met Rosie, when she was in hospital. 'Dead god it's great to see you, what are you doing back at the Academy? I thought you were working at the main hospital?' Rosie was as slim as ever, star-struck to see her old friend again, and gave her a warm squeeze

'Well since the Robot War is finally over there's not really much for me there, work-wise, and besides, little Ty wants to go to Junior Ranger Camp again, so I'm going to need a bit more cash in my pocket. I'm here to get reassigned to a mission working on a medical team of the _Bright Eye_.' Her huge smile soon turned sad, Taz knew who she was thinking about. Rosie and Tripp first met when she worked on her first mission on the medical team. Taz tried to change the subject.

'Junior Ranger Camp? He'll do fine, he has his father's passion.' A smile soon crept back on Rosie's face "Anyway how's Ree? She must be about three by now isn't she?' her small smile soon reached her ears

'Well she certainly has a taste of adventure, that's one thing, I barely get any rest! Anyway, where are my manners, how are you and Up?' She had no idea, then again not even the crew knew, but Taz didn't want to see her smile disappear so she said the only thing she could think of.

'Yeah we're, we're doing good, I'm only back here because our crew found this discovery and we-'

'Oh yes of course I think your gonna want to check out the lab,

you just might get a shock! But I won't keep you, you look like your busy! I'll see you around Taz, good to see you again. By the way, we definitely need to catch up! Say hi to Up for me say Ty's asking for him!' With that she took her leave giving one last smile before she disappeared round the corner. Taz was left alone in the corridor taking in everything she just heard. There was noting else to distract herself with, she made her way to lab deck. As she walked around the last corner, she backed into a shadow, as she saw Admiral Li walk through the doors of the lab, soon followed by an over excited Specs. _No way! I'm not going to be in the same room with her until I've thought of a simple excuse why we all spent months on Bug World and still have no _joder _report for her! _She made her way back to the A2, and went up towards her quarters.

'So, I hear we have discovered the Elixir of Life!' Li exclaimed proudly to her science team, as she picked up a vile filled with a liquid shimmering with pink and orange swirls, just like the water on Bug World. She handed it to Specs, who observed it proudly.

'We still need to run a few tests, but if the particles of the water and human tissues prove positive, then this liquid just might be able to extend life for about fifty years, at least.' There were murmurs of appreciation from the lab team. But without saying a word, Li turned and left passing Krayonder as the deck doors opened.

'Hey Specs, if you want to get your things from the A2 we need to do it now, cos Taz has just allowed clearance, she's there already.' Shyly taking his hand, they walked to the Starship. Once they arrived on deck, Krayonder couldn't help but notice the massive smile on Spec's face

'Come on, what's happened? I haven't seen a smile like that in a while!' It was strictly against orders, but she couldn't help herself. She grinned roguishly.

'Right, you have to promise you won't say anything to anyone.'

Her quarters were cold and silent, and it felt wrong for Taz's mind. She decided to turn on the ships computer for any broadcasts. Any sound would be better than complete silence. But what came on defiantly wasn't what Taz needed to hear.

'And now for a special announcement' came the voice from the news bulletin. 'It has been three years today since the lives of many brave men and women were lost during one of the many final stands of the robot wars. Today we remember the stand off in the height of the Robot War, led by the _Bright Eye _and the _Cazadora. _The sound of the name made Taz turn around on the spot almost instantly. _Mierda _Taz thought. _Shit. _How could she forget? Taz looked away she couldn't even face the screen.

'Now let us remember the rangers that gave their lives on this day.' The screen scrolled down, listing photos and name tags of the dead. She finally had the guts to look at the screen, one face appeared, and without hesitation, Taz paused the screen on the face she recognised. Pedro. His stupid little love struck smile was beaming up at her. She sat cross legged on her bunk. For a second she could almost remember him and his laughter, his voice, but thanks to Space-Claw, that was gone, along with several hundred other Rangers. Her mind took her back to the night before the _Cazadora's _last battle, she and Pedro got closer than ever... She stared down at her ring and Up came into her thoughts. That night she was waiting for him. Would things be different if Up had come to visit her that night? Would he have sent her to the engine room? Would they all be dead? She turned off the screen and went to her bathroom. She turned on the shower, and stripped down and stepped inside. She stood under there for about ten minutes, letting the boiling water pound down on her back, until she could stand the heat no longer. She got out, and rubbed herself dry, and blindly pulled her clothes on, and flicked on the extractor fan to disperse with the steam which was collecting on her mirror. She left the bathroom, the cold air hitting her face, and made to collapse on her bed, but froze. Light steam was swirling around her feet. She turned, and it was coming from under the bathroom door. Tentatively pushing the door open, she found herself blinded by hot steam. The bath was nearly overflowing, hot water rushing from the taps. She leapt over and turned them off firmly, and pulled out the plug. _What the hell is going on? _She thought _I didn't even have a bath..._

There was a small thump, and Taz wheeled around, fists raised.

_'_Hello?' she called. Silence. Convincing herself that she was

hearing things, she went to wash the sweat that appeared on her brow. She splashed the cold water onto her face, and rubbed it with a towel, when she heard it again. A soft thump, coming from the other room.

'What the hell is that?' She peered into the main sector of her quarters. 'Krayonder? Is that you?' There was no one to be seen, but the lamp which rested on her table side when she came out of the shower had now fallen onto floor. She went back to the sink she noticed that her mirror was covered in light condensation again, even though the extractor fan was

turned on full. She leant forward to wipe it, only to jump back in shock. Instinct told her to walk away, to run like hell, but she didn't feel like listening to that side of her. She ran into the main section of her quarters and grabbed her radio.

'Specs!'

'Lieutenant-Commander, is everything alright?' came Specs' muffled voice.

'You need to get to my quarters _ahora_!' She dashed back to her mirror. Now she was scared. 'I think there's-'

Before she could even finish her sentence, a figure leapt at her from the shadows, and she was thrown to the floor, and she felt something pumping through her body. She struggled, and tried to fight back as best she could, but the drug made it impossible to even throw a small punch. She could do nothing while she was dragged by her now useless arms, out of her quarters by the hooded figure that came from nowhere. It was no use, she was too vulnerable. Her silent scream echoed through the halls as she was pulled away from the mirror, with the one word still inscribed there.

_Run._


	13. Chapter 13 Fear

Chapter Thirteen

_**Fear**_

The _Phoenix _had arrived at _Qo'noS_. The air was thick with tension. Commander Tyler watched the dusty ground draw nearer, as they came in to land. The bridge was full of Rangers, awaiting their orders. Tyler turned to the assembled men and women, the sense of fear and adrenaline buzzing through each of them.

'Rangers.' The quiet chatter died down at once, and all eyes snapped to the Commander. 'I can hardly stress enough that this mission is exceedingly dangerous. I don't want anybody risking their neck for anything or anyone. The mission brief is simple. Get in there, find Space-Claw, bring him in, get the hell out. We will think about rescuing any hostages there may be after Space-Claw is locked away in the ships brig. And I will say now that anyone who risks the success of this mission can go out, and not bother coming back on board.'

The Rangers looked at each other in surprise. The rookies looked nothing short of terrified. 'We are going to surround the building, and wait for the signal to advance. Don't use zappers unless absolutely necessary. I want Space-Claw back. Alive.'

_Her scream echoed across the cave, his footsteps beating like his racing heart across the floor. She was trapped, pinned against the wall, terrified, helpless. They were going to kill her, but he wasn't going to let it happen. He leapt over the remains of Metal Gear, and charged, adrenaline coursing through his veins. He could hear her screaming, gasping for air, her eyes focusing on something he could not see. She could not breathe, she was dying. He ran faster, when something huge, long and purple flew past him, blocking his path. They slammed into his gut with unbelievable force, knocking the wind out of him. The creature wrapped its tentacles around his arms, and hoisted him up into the air, then his legs were wrenched up too. He looked up into the eyes of his captor, and his blood ran cold. He was staring into the most terrifying face he had ever encountered. The face of legends, told round the fire, causing blood-chilling terror. He screamed, but he could not hear it over the pounding of his frantic heart. The metal chest flew open, and the most unearthly sound filled the cave, an ungodly scream of rusted metal. Something flew out of the blackness, something silver, spinning. Something that flew straight towards him. The pain hit him like the force of a thousand bullets, as the saw ripped further and further into his flesh. He couldn't breathe, he_

_couldn't see, the pain was screaming as loud as the saw that was buried in his skin, all he wanted was for the pain to stop, to black out, to die, and he heard, his name being called, over and over, Up, Up, Up..._

'Up!'

Up jerked awake, the blankets twisted around his body like a straight jacket. He struggled to free himself, his body glazed in sweat. The dream had been horribly vivid, he could almost feel his left side tingling where skin met metal. Then he remembered where he was, why the ship was stationary, where they must be, and the urge to vomit built up inside him. He fought it back, and faced the man standing at the door.

'Tyler.'

Tyler observed Up, still sat on the bed, his uniform twisted and crumpled, his breath still rapid.

'I just came to inform you that we have landed at our destination. We're on _Qo'noS _Up.'

_Like you need to tell me _Up thought, massaging his chest, trying not to be sick all over the Commander.

'I also want to stress that you have no obligation to step foot on this planet. I, personally, would think it better for you to stay on board while we take care of... everything.' Up sat in silence for a few moments. _I don't have to go_. Relief surged through him. Even if he was ordered to go down to the planet, he didn't think his body would allow him to. He had thought the three years of recovery might have prepared him a little more. He had never been more wrong.

'Well, I'll leave you now; I just thought I'd fill you in on what's going on.' Tyler stood awkwardly, not sure whether to dare ask what the matter was, or maybe just scared that he might be puked on. _Starship Rangers assemble. Drop pod released in three minutes. _Tyler jumped at the summons. For a moment he looked frightened. But then his face hardened.

'Well, if you'll excuse me, I have a mission to lead. I'll see you when all of this is over.'

'Good luck, Commander.' Up watched the young man go, thinking about his first command, on the _Eagle_. That was nothing compared to the mission that faced Tyler today. He just prayed that they all made it back. He stretched back onto his pillows, and exhaled deeply, trying to imagine going back to the _15-A2 _and holding Taz in his arms and never letting go. He knew he shouldn't have left her. But hopefully, after today, it would all be worth it. As long as she was safe.

_Drop pod countdown in two minutes. _Up heard the two Rangers heading towards the bridge to board the drop pod, passing by his quarters in hurried conversation.

'The Commander said it was against regulations'

'Yeah, but he said if we find them, then we bring them back! We're not just gonna leave them there to rot'

'Well once we get Space-Claw, and if we aren't all dead, _then _we go back for them.'

'I know the orders, Lucas. The main priority is getting the

Lieutenant-Commander out alive...'

Up lay frozen on his bed. _The Lieutenant-Commander. Taz._

_No, no he can't have Taz, he can't, I thought she would be safe..._

He sat up, and straightened out his uniform, his eyes burning fire. His body seemed to belong to a different man. All his fears and reservations vanished on the spot, and only one thought entered his numbed brain. _I'm going down there. I'm going to save her. _He ran out of his quarters, away from the late-running Rangers, and to the smaller drop pod deck on the starboard side. He skidded round the corner, when he heard footsteps behind him.

'Up! Hey Up!'

_Shit! _He thought. How was he gonna talk himself out of this mess? He turned round, expecting to see the Commander, but instead came face to face with James Reddfield. The last time

Up saw this boy, he was lying in a hospital bed with half a face, and here he stood, skin intact, and blood free. But Up wasn't going to waste time asking questions, he had to get down to the planet before the main drop pod left.

'What is it Reddfield? And make it quick.'

_Drop pod countdown in one minute. _There was not much time left.

'Listen, I know your going to help Taz...' _How could he know? _Up's eyes widened in surprise. How could he even know about Taz? But now was not the time. He had to get out, fast 'Not now, James, I'll talk later!'

'No, no Up, listen! I want to help you!'

Up was taken aback by this. 'I...you...you're in no fit state to be going anywhere'

'Up, please.' James looked directly into his eyes. 'This is something I really want to do. I want to help, now hurry, there's not much time!'

Up could not find the words to protest, but there was no time to argue anyway. He leapt in the drop pod after James, and hit the controls as fast as his fingers would allow. The pod shuddered with alarming force, then broke away from the hulk of the ship.

_I'm coming Taz _Up thought. _I'm coming._


	14. Chapter 14 Planning

Chapter Fourteen

_**Planning**_

She could hear it. The humming of machinery. The occasional beep. She didn't know where she was, and had long given up on trying to open her eyes. She tried thinking back, but her brain felt fuzzy and slow. A gag was tied around her mouth so tightly it was cutting into her skin, she couldn't scream for help, but she didn't think she'd be able to without the gag. Whatever they had drugged her with was surely doing its job, she was totally unable to move, or make a sound.

She could feel something cutting into her arms, something that was holding them down, something metal and cold to the touch. She could smell something lingering in the air; it smelt of blood, rust and decay. She strained to open her eyes one more time, and at last, they opened an infinitesimal amount, but everything was a blur, a dark grey blur. As things started to slowly come into focus, her other senses came alive too. She could feel her arms were bolted down by thick iron shackles, and her feet were chained to the flat table she was lying on. She finally managed to turn her head an inch to the left, and what lay beside her was a tray full of operating equipment, scalpels, tweezers, scissors and syringes, some still with blood inside. The knives seemed to sharp she could almost feel their touch on her bare skin.

She heard footsteps. _Oh dead God this is it! _She thought, she was going to face her death, possibly after a few hours of torture. Taz closed her eyes praying it would just be quick, and truly hoped they were planning on using their little doctors toys _after _she died.

'Ah Lieutenant-Commander' the voice rang from the doorway, so cold, deep and bitter it could surely belong to no one else. She opened her eyes and stared into the eyes of Dr. Space-Claw. 'We were so worried we were not going to find you. I hope the ride wasn't too unpleasant' How could he stand there, and mock her as she lay there helpless, buckled down, more vulnerable than she ever had been in her life.

_Space Claw you mierda hijo de puta, believe me when I get out of here I'm going to patada en el culo de mierda en mierda hijo de puta hijo de puta loco loco!_

'Now Taz, I can imagine why you may be a little confused as to why you are here?

_Well buy the looks of it your gonna make me into another one of your little playthings... _Taz tugged as much as she could at her bindings, but her arms and legs were tightly buckled down

'Taz-'

'Don't call me that!' The words finally burst out of her chest, how _dare _he stand there, and use her name, how could he look her in the face, after everything he did? Space-Claw seemed a little taken aback that she was resisting the drug so quickly.

'Lieutenant-Commander then, the reason you have been brought here to me, is that I have a simple proposition to make to you, and we had to resort to some... measures to make sure I could talk to you without interruptions.' He moved closer towards her. She could sense the henchmen surrounding towards her.

'What do you want with me?' It was simple, but she needed to know.

'Lieutenant-Commander, have you ever lost someone close to you?' _What was this twenty questions? What was he playing at?_

'What is that to you? Why would you even care? Unless I'm mistaken wasn't it your son who tried to kill our crew under your orders?'

"My son is dead.' said Space-Claw quietly. Although there was no anger in his voice, he reverberated such a power, that Taz stopped struggling. 'Unless I'm mistaken, he was killed by one of your crew' he leaned forward towards her, his presence gave her a chill down her spine. 'Do not forget that.' his voice was so quiet, yet so cold, she couldn't speak. 'Now I will ask you again. Have you ever lost someone close to you?' he was beginning to lose his temper, and she was beginning to shake with terror.

'Yes!' It just came out of her 'Yes I have, alright!' He looked pleased, why was that?

'Then you will know the pain that comes with it. I have suffered it twice, now you may not believe that I can be a man with emotion, but now I have found a way to... _bring them back_.' She stared at him; did he just say what she thought he said? Bring back the dead?

'That's- That's impossible.'

'Nothing is impossible, Taz.' She had heard that before, he couldn't have known. She had stopped struggling completely. She couldn't concentrate on escaping when her mind was else where.

_This couldn't be some wind up could it? Talking about bringing those she loved back from the dead? Well I guess if he did it once, could he do it again?_

'Dr Claw, there is a situation.' Another henchman had entered her eyes flickered towards Space Claw, shivers returning up her body.

'Not to worry, I think I've said all that needs to be said.' His eyes fixed on Taz; he waved his metal claw towards the two henchmen standing beside her 'Proceed.' Giving her no time to try and fight back, Taz felt something sharp press into her neck, the pain, though it was quick was excruciating. The substance ran down her veins too quickly she could hear her own heartbeat.

'Some thing's not right.' She could just make out the blurs leaning over her, 'Give her an extra dose, I'm needed upstairs. I'll be back.' The next pain was worse than the previous one, she wanted to scream out but it felt as if something was lodged in her throat. The blurs were becoming darker harder to see, it wasn't long before she gave up fighting.


	15. Chapter 15 Cover

Chapter Fifteen

_**Cover**_

Darkness had shrouded the sky on _Qo'noS, _the horizon was a thin strip of electric blue light, piercing the complete blackness of the planet. Up and James seemed to be walking to nowhere, the drop pod was long out of sight, but nothing seemed to be coming into view in front of them. The two of them had walked in near silence throughout the entire journey, the presence of danger was thick in the air, and Up was terrified of being back on the soil of this planet, possibly only a few miles from where he died, and also, he remembered with a shudder, where the right side of his body must still lie. But Up was determined not to let any of his fear show in front of James

'Why are you doing this Sir?' James blurted out, shattering the silence.

'Doing what?' Up asked suspiciously.

'This. Going against orders to save her, you know you will be retired from duty if your caught, and I think they would have noticed that we're gone by now.' James paused, and looked sideways at Up. 'You must really care about her.'

Up carried on looking straight ahead. Their destination had appeared on the skyline, a blot in the middle of the landscape, no bigger than a one pence piece. Their destination however was far from Ups' mind. His head was full of what James had just said. _Why is it I can never go on a mission without opening up to someone?_

James was still looking at him. 'Well in any case Sir, I think you and the Lieutenant-Commander are made for each other.'

Up looked down at the smile on the boys face, and he was shocked. He had never known anyone who understood him, and how he felt, apart from Taz. _Taz. _Taz trapped, locked up, possibly tortured, held captive at the building that was now approaching fast. _She's got to be alive, she will still be fighting, I know it. _He wouldn't be surprised if she had escaped her captors, and ripped Space-Claws head off. But then he remembered who he was working with, and how even he was no match for the most formidable robot in the universe. The building was getting close now, and all the surroundings were very familiar to Up. This was where Taz and he left the troops all those years ago to find...

'That's it!'

'What is it Sir?' James looked around, confused.

'I think I've found a way to get in. You see that collapsed cave over there?' James nodded. 'There's a tunnel in there, it must connect to the underside of the building! We can sneak in without getting noticed, all we have to do is move this rubble out of the way.'

They did not have a moment to lose, they rushed towards the pile of rock that concealed the entrance that Up and Taz used last time to enter the tunnel during the height of the robot war.

Only this time, the entrance was barricaded with rubble and old machinery. It would take hours to move it with just two people. They tried shifting some of the smaller rocks, when James suddenly bolted upright.

'What the hell is wrong with you?' Up demanded.

'Shhhh!' breathed James, his fingers to his lips. Up was not used to taking orders from young boys, and was just about to protest, when he heard it too.

'Dammit, I _told _you this was the wrong way!'

'No, no I'm sure this is the right way!'

'You said that when we were walking the other way!'

The voices grew louder, and louder, and their owners seemed to be drawing closer. Up and James shrank into the shadows, and then they saw three silhouettes draw longer around the corner. They waited, with baited breath, as the speakers came around the corner. Their faces could not be seen, only their outlines were visible. Both Up and James held their breath, and the strangers seemed to be passing them by, still arguing over their direction.

'You said if we turned _east _at that little green rock...'

'No, I said turn _south..._'

'I _told _you not to take his directions he always gets us lost!'

The one in the middle pushed the last speaker sideways, dislodging a fair amount of dust from the ground. James gave a tiny cough, tensed, then suddenly sneezed loudly. Up clapped his hands to James' mouth, but it was too late. The people had stopped talking, and slowly turned to face them. Up and James froze, as the strangers came towards them, and stood over them.

'Dead God, Up, _there _you are!'

Up and James looked at each other in shock. Then the speaker stepped forward into the ray of moonlight.

'Specs!' Up jumped up, and pulled in his old crew mate for a crushing hug. Then another tapped him on the shoulder, and he turned. 'Tootsie! Krayonder! I'm so happy to see you guys!'

'Dead God, are we happy to see _you_!' Tootsies face wasn't big enough to contain his smile.

'What the hell are you all doing here?' Up stood back to observe his old crew, unable to contain a smile.

Krayonder's smile faded a little. 'Well... last night... Taz got kidnapped. We looked everywhere for her, and then we noticed one of our escape pods had been activated. We followed its signal all the way down to this planet and well... here we are.'

'But...' Up began, trying to take it all in. 'You guys were halfway across the sector when I left. How in dead Gods name did you get from there to here in one night?'

Specs took up this question. 'When we realised the Lieutenant- Commander was on the escape pod, I tracked its journey to the mother-ship and according to my Spectrometer, that ship had some kind of teleportation device. So I figured that they must have used that to get onto the A2 in the first place, but they couldn't leave that way without a return component device. But transactions such as these leave electrical traces, so I programmed the ships software to create a device almost identical to the one on the mother-ship, and we arrived here in a manner of nano-seconds.' Specs took a deep breath, while trying not to look too pleased with herself.

'Way to go Specs!' Up said with pride. Krayonder patted her on the back.

'I guess you're here for the same reason as us?' enquired Tootsie, a small look of pity on his beetroot-red face.

'I sure am!' said Up, giving his best attempt of a brave face, but he knew everyone could see right through it. Up tried to change the subject.

'But where's the rest of the crew? Where's February, Bug and Mega-Girl?' He directed the question to Tootsie.

'I told Mega-Girl to stay behind and look after Bug and

February, they decided to try and sweeten things up with the Admiral.' Specs, Krayonder and Tootsie all shared a look of grim understanding. Up felt completely at sea.

'Why? What happened with the Admiral?'

Krayonder gave a dry cough. 'Well...after you left, we were all sent back down to Bug World, to try find a safe place to colonize the humans, which we thought was weird, 'cos we already tried that, and it didn't work out so good. But we went down and tried anyway. Then that night, we were all sitting in the ships mess hall, when we heard a load of banging from Taz's room, and then we heard her scream. So all six of us ran up there, and she was gone, and someone had drawn on her mirror, we couldn't make out what it said, but we knew we had company, 'cos Taz always got peed off when people did that.'

Up knew this all too well, he remembered when he got a particularly painful punch in the gut for drawing a smiley face on her mirror last year.

'So what did you do then?'

Tootsie took over. 'Well we ran straight to the bridge, and made contact with the _Bright Eye _and we told Li exactly what happened. Then she told us not to worry, that they were going to handle it and that we needed to start making our way back to the Academy for reassignment.'

'Then of course we all said that we were not going to leave a fellow Ranger behind, and that's when things turned ugly. She told us not to interfere with what the G.L.E.E is doing, and if we didn't get a reassignment in the next fortnight, we would all be retired from duty.' said Specs.

Up swore under his breath. 'That bitch. She knew Taz was going to get captured, and she just stood aside and let it happen.' He could feel himself getting angrier.

'Sir?' Up jumped, he forget James was here. 'Don't you think that we should get this moving?'

'You're right. Guys, we need to get this rubble shifted. It's the only way to get into the building.'

All five of them set to work at once. It was slow, but the fact that they were all together again spurred them on, and within the hour a sizeable hole had been made, just enough for them to squeeze through. Up braced himself for what may lie ahead, and went in first.


	16. Chapter 16 Memories

Chapter Sixteen

_**Memories**_

_She opened her eyes, only to find her vision blinded by a luminous white light. Shielding her eyes, she pulled herself up to a more comfortable position. The operating table and line up of bloody tools had all vanished, and there was no one to be seen. She had found herself in what seemed to be heaven. Everywhere was pure, the walls, the floor everything was white, including the table where she sat, wearing a plain white dress._

'You've know Taz since she applied at the Academy? It was you who got her in wasn't it?' As if sneaking through enemy territory wasn't hard enough the boy kept constantly asking questions.

'Yes that's right.' putting on his soldiers mask 'She was the best student the Academy ever had, she had so much talent, and so young, they would have been fools to refuse her." The hallways were never ending once they reached the ending of one corridor another would soon appear. 'No what I mean is, you know her better than anyone, you practically spent most of your life with her-'

'Where exactly are you going with this ensign, if you haven't noticed we're trying to stay undercover!' He could feel his temper rising, he didn't want to hurt the poor kids feelings, but he needed to get Taz out of this hell hole fast, and being interviewed wasn't helping.

'I'm sorry Sir, it's just I was just wondering if, if you could go back and...change anything, anything at all for her... Would you?' Up was silent.

_She could just sit there forever she needed to find out where she was, find out if she was alive or not. She leapt off the table only to find a simple, white lace dress dangling round her knees. 'Okay I must be dead.' She giggled to herself quietly._

_'Because you wouldn't be seen dead in that wouldn't you _mi quierida_?' _

_That voice! It couldn't be. She turned her head to face a figure walking towards her, the closer he got the clear the details came to her, his light brown hair, dark eyes to match. Speechless she held out her hand to hold his arm as he approached her he was real in every shape and form. With the same love struck look on his face as she remembered. Their eyes meet and with a smile she whispered_

_'Pedro?'_

'Sir ,are you alright? I didn't mean anything by it, I just-'

_'_I know son, I know. I'm think there are one or two moments I would like to change if I could. But hey, that's life.' Out of everyone he had ever meet he could only talk to Bug and Rosie about Taz, but for some reason this kid got him thinking.

'Like what, Sir?'

_'_Well, I wouldn't mind having a full human body back, then

maybe I would have had the guts to ask her...' the young man's eyes were full of interest, as if he knew what he was going to say next.

'Any way, we gotta be quiet now. Let's just find her and get out. After you.' He watched him take lead. Why did he look so pitiful? _He took his right hand, and cupped her cheek._

_'You look like you've seen a ghost! What's wrong?'_

_This all seemed real but how could it be? _

_'But your... I saw you, that night the Cazadora-'_

_'The Cazadora? That was years ago Taz, one of the most successful missions of the Robot War, but at a heavy cost." He sighed, and lowered his hand until it reached hers, she could feel his fingers running through hers, so soft, and so real._

_'What do you mean? That was the night you died.' She pushed away from him, bringing a little space between them 'You sacrificed yourself to save me.'_

_'You must have knocked your head or something, _mi amor_, I think your mistaking me for our Commander remember? You and Commander Up were down in engineering evacuating the crew when the Commander had the idea to blow up the robot fleet with the warp core itself. It was a pity, Up was the greatest Commander we ever had.' She couldn't believe what she was hearing._

_'But Qo'noS? Me and Up fighting, when Up..' Her unfinished question was soon answered as Pedro took her hand and placed it on the right side of his chest, beneath his shirt, it was cold._

_'Taz, I know in the past we have had our differences, but the last few years have been the happiest I have ever felt.' He mover her hand onto his heart, the beat steady and quiet, unlike her racing heart, which was about to burst out of her chest._

_'My heart beats for you everyday when I'm not with you _mi bella_.'_

_Their bodies were touching now, his forehead pressed to hers, she listened to the sound of his heart, and that was when she remembered._

_She was back in her village, a fifteen again, terrified, vulnerable, spinning screaming at her robot attackers, when a man saved her_

_'Who are you anyway, where did you come from?'_

_'I'm Lieutenant Pedro from the Galactic League of Extraterrestrial Exploration, I'm a – I'm a Starship Ranger.'_

_The scene had changed where there was once burning grass and lying corpses now was a beautiful patterned dance floor, the walls of Europa glistening and bright as the music twirled along with them in the centre of the room. Both of them matched in steps but enjoying every second. Her beauty, his charm, all covering up the real reason they where there. From dancing to fighting, her memory changing once more, where once she fought along side a man with grey hair and a moustache, now stood the man who saved her when she was a girl, the man she loved, Pedro._

_'Surely you remember me? Taz, I love you with all my heart. If I can't have you, I'm nothing.' Both of his hands had found there way around her neck, her hand still pressed against his body 'That's why I have to ask you something, something important, something I've been meaning to ask you ever since the day I set eyes on you.' She knew what he was going to ask her, even before he slipped out the ring from his pocket. 'Now, I'm not one for getting down on one knee, but here goes' He lowered himself down onto his left leg, his hands still clutching hers. Taz didn't know whether to look surprised or not, but the smile on her face was all he needed to see. Taz knelt down to join him and threaded her fingers through his hair. After all this time, how could she forget? The touch of his skin on hers, as he pulled her closer, lips millimetres apart. She leant forward, and kissed him like she meant it, truly showing him how she felt. He replied, hand caught in her hair, nothing had ever felt so right than knowing they were meant to be together._


	17. Chapter 17 The Lair

Chapter Seventeen

_**The Lair**_

The smell of decay hit their nostrils, as the five of them struggled through the collapsed tunnel. Up was trying his best not to look around. He knew perfectly well where he was, and he knew what could be lying right beside him, but he found that if he looked dead ahead at all times, and just thought of Taz and her smiling face as they came to release her, he could pass through without wanting to scream. They crawled in silence, until they reached a clearing, and the roof domed above their heads, so they were able to stand up.

'Oh my dead God!' Krayonder shouted.

'SHHHH!' the crew said in unison.

'Sorry! Jeez, man, that was totally disgusting!' Krayonder whispered.

'What happened?' said Specs, rubbing his arm soothingly.

'I swear I crawled through like a pile of guts of something- hey man are you okay?' as Up violently retched. Tootsie hurriedly patted him on the back, until he could stand up, trying his utmost not to look at Krayonder. But as he scanned the floor around him, he saw many skeletons and decaying carcasses scattered around, of small mammals who tried to find shelter in this wrecked tunnel, and perished.

'Well, boys and girls' said Up, trying to keep his breathing even. 'The door to the building should be around here somewh-'

'Hey, look at this!' Specs ran to the rocky wall, and started feeling the smooth surface, occasionally knocking on the wall with her fist.

'Er... Specs? What are you trying-?' But then Up saw. As a mound of rock fell onto the floor, it revealed something shiny and black behind it. All of them fell down to help scrabble away at the remaining rock, until they uncovered what appeared to be a sheet of black metal.

'What is it?' asked Tootsie.

'It's a door!' whispered James. Specs smiled smugly. Krayonder gave her a one armed squeeze. They crept silently through the halls, Up leading the way, each of them looking for some kind of clue as to where Space-Claw would be keeping Taz. Specs followed behind Up, James and Tootsie behind her and Krayonder...

'What are we looking for?'

'SHHHHHHH!' and Up was irresistibly reminded of their first time down on Bug World

'I'm serious-'

'Krayonder for the love of dead God I will personally knock you out if it makes you shut up!' Up was beginning to lose his patience.

'I suggest splitting up will be the most logical thing to do at

this juncture sir' Specs whispered.

'Good idea Specs, you and Krayonder will search the south side of the building, James and I will check ahead, and

Tootsie...' He stared at Tootsie for a minute or so, not quite knowing what to do. 'You'd better come with us.'

'Hell yeah!' he exclaimed.

'SHHHHH!'

The three of them walked down the long shadow filled hall,

looking out for any doors, levers and possible traps. It wouldn't be a lair without some sort of security. It seemed they were walking for hours, until...

'Sir, over here.' James waved Up and Tootsie over to the end of another impeccably clean corridor, and silently pointed at the door he was crouched by. Both Tootsie and Up hurried over to the door James pointed out. It was a dark, polished mahogany, with a frosted window at the top, with the words 'SCIENCE LABORATORY' printed on it.

'This is it' breathed Up, and he reached up, and slowly turned the doorknob. They all hurried in, zappers ready, but there was no one there. Up looked around, a sinking feeling in his chest, but then he spotted another door, concealed in the shadows at the very back of the room. He signalled the others to follow him, and they crept towards it. This door was very different to the clinical, almost hospital-like feel of the rest of the building. The wood was dark, and unfinished, and there was no window, or doorknob to speak of, only a rusty silver keyhole.

'Dead god Dammit.' Up breathed. 'We're gonna have to blast our way in.' knowing full well that even one blast of zapper fire would set the alarm bells ringing.

'No need sir.' James whispered, and he produced a rusty silver key from his pocket. Up stared at the boy, astonished. 'How... how did you get-?'

'I'll explain later! Move out of the way, please.' there was a small click, and the door creaked open. It was like stepping into another world. The walls were made of rough stone, and the only light was from the solitary flame, flickering on the metal bracket fastened to the wall. They stepped in, and the door immediately shut behind them with an echoing bang. The noise made them all freeze, ears straining, until James nudged Up, and nodded to the steep narrow passageway in front of them. Up grabbed the torch, and led them down. Further and further into the ground the tunnel took them, until they reached another door, this one with many holes, and the wood was chipped and splintered. Up gave it a gentle push, and it swung open easily. The next room was circular, and there were doors everywhere, with a torch above each one, most of the flames extinguished. Up might have imagined it, but he thought he could hear quiet groaning and clinking. _Was it a ghost? _Up thought hurriedly. James led them to the only door with the flame still burning above it, and nodded once at Up. Up braced himself for whatever may lie behind, and he pushed it open.

'_Taz!' _Up's heart filled with joy at the sight of her. She was lying on a table that was drilled to the wall, her Rangers uniform charred and muddy. She was held to the wall by a thick chain, which was shackled to both her ankles. But it was the rest of the room that made Ups stomach tense. There were monitors everywhere, they seemed to have walked into an operating surgery, the rough stone and torches were gone, it was the same as the previous building, clinical and hospital like. Taz was hardly seen through the numerous wires that fed out of her body, and into the immense amount of tubes full of liquid, a blood bag, and a heart monitor. It made Up want to cry with relief as he saw her heartbeat flicker through the screen, the accompanying _beep _was the most joyous sound in the world to Up. Tootsie rushed over to unbuckle her, with the same key James used to open the door.

'I can't wake her up.' Tootsie said, gently shaking her.

'Well... unplug her then' Up ordered, his heart was probably beating ten times faster now that he was so close to her.

'Up, we don't know what these things do-'

'I said unplug her. Please.' the look in Up's eyes made James obey. The moment the monitors light died, and the numerous wires removed, Taz stirred. Her eyes flicked open, and they fell on Tootsie, then James, and finally, Up.

'Tootsie?' her voice was weak and croaky, and it killed Up to see her so weak her like this. Tootsie helped her up to a sitting position, and she held onto Tootsies shoulders as she stood up too fast, and fell into Up.

'Taz!' Up was so glad to see her, seemingly unharmed. She turned her big eyes towards him, and opened her mouth.

'Pedro?' then she looked into his face. The moment her eyes saw Up, she screamed and fell back to the operating table.

'No way! _¿Qué carajo está pasando?'_

'Taz?' Up was more confused than Tootsie and James put together. All three stared at her, as she tried to hide behind Tootsie.

'You can't, you can't be here! You just can't!' she howled. Her face was deathly white. 'Woah, Taz calm down! What are you talking about? Why can't Up be here?' James had made his way slowly from the monitors looking at the scene in confusion.

'_Porque está muerto! _Because he's dead!'

It had taken some time, but they managed to get Taz out of the room, she stayed close to Tootsie, and clung onto his arm in fear. James walked behind, whilst Up lead them back the way they came, his mind was filled with confusion and pain. _He's dead_! The words rang through his brain. They had reached the clearing with the door with the silver lock again.

'Taz, can't you remember?' Tootsie was trying his best to help the situation. He felt uncomfortable enough having Taz clinging onto him, but having to try and talk to her on a personal level was something no one had done without getting smacked. 'Up saved you from robots when you were a little-'

'No that was Pedro, I remember.'

'Who is Pedro anyway?' enquired James.

'Pedro was a solider that died in the Robot War three years ago.' Up spun round and faced Taz.

'No!' Taz screamed. Tootsie withdrew himself from her clutches, and backed away, and James followed in Tootsies footsteps. 'That never happened; it was _you _that day, you where the one who went down in that ship!' Up felt stung. This had gone far enough.

'Well then ask me anything! Ask me anything only your

'_Pedro' _would know 'cos I would know it! Your favourite film, your favourite place, your nightmares, everything!'

'Well you probably read my file! Because you had such a pathetic _crush _on me, you probably researched everything about me!'

That hurt. Up was getting seriously angry.

'Then how do I know about that undercover mission on Europa where we kissed?' It burst out of him, he forgot that

James and Tootsie were also present. 'Pedro Herrera was just a stupid young love sick kid-'

'Stop it!'

'-who didn't care for your feelings enough to fight for you whatever the cost, like I have.'

'Like what?' Taz's voice had become so shrill it was almost hysterical. Without hesitation Up grabbed her hand and placed it on the right side of his chest. Taz tried to pull away but he pulled her close so that their heads where almost touching. Up spoke again, and his voice was cold.

'I don't know what's happened to you, _Taz_, but if you cant even remember what I said to you in this very building three years ago, then you are clearly a self-centred little bitch!' Taz had managed to slip her hand out of his grasp and slapped him round the face. She looked at him with pure hatred, and her voice was icy.

'Just stop it! You don't know how much he cares for me, if he didn't care, then why would he give me this?' She grabbed the ring hanging round her neck, and Up's heart sunk deeper than it had ever gone. She turned firmly away from him.

'Now let's get out of here. Tootsie, where do we go now?'

But before he could answer, they were surrounded. Robots

stood side by side in a circle, trapping them, and Up felt his arms being wrenched behind him as he was marched through the door, the others in his wake.


	18. Chapter 18 Truth

Chapter Eighteen

_**Truth**_

They were marched through several corridors, past many doors, until finally they reached a plain black door with no doorknob, no keyhole, no window, just a scanner stuck to the wall. One of the men who had joined the robots as they were led through the building pressed his thumb into the scanner. There was a hum as it read his print, and then he crouched down, as a laser wave scanned his eye. The red light next to the scanner suddenly turned green, and the doorway slid open. The four of them were shoved over the threshold, into a large, circular office, with a high ceiling and no windows. The furnishings were elegant, the walls were a deep crimson, and the carpet was blood-red and laced with gold. There was an opulent antique desk with stacks of papers filed neatly into a row and a high backed chair that was cast in shadow. The prisoners were led to the centre of the room, and a robot stood behind each of them, blocking any means of escape. Up could feel the metal shackles cutting into his wrists, and cursed himself for letting this happen. He should have gone alone, then they might not have been caught, and the others would have been safe. He thought of Specs and Krayonder, and he hoped at least they got out safely, and would be able to send a distress call to the _Phoenix_... if their captors let them last that long. He glanced sideways at Taz, but she seemed to be avoiding his gaze, she was staring at her feet, deliberately blocking him out. The man who opened the door stepped forward, and approached the polished desk, stopping short by a few feet, and he cleared his throat.

'We have them, sir'

'Excellent.' The deep, brittle voice seemed to reverberate around the room. It made Up shiver. He thought that whatever plans they might have, that they could take him and let the others go. Then perhaps he could escape, but Up was not getting his hopes too high, for luck was seemingly not on their side. The speaker leaned forward into the light, and they all looked at the face of Dr. Space-Claw, who observed the group of incarcerated Rangers, and a small smile fell across his lips. A hatred he had never felt before surged through Up's body, he dug his nails deep into his fists as he spoke again.

'Untie them, Peterson. Where are your manners?' Peterson walked behind them, and released their bindings one by one. Up rubbed his wrists, ignoring the deep welts now branded on his skin as he glared at Space-Claw.

'Well well well. Rear-Admiral! How pleasant to see you again. I trust the journey here was not too unpleasant?'

'Don't play bullshit with me, Space-Claw!' Up growled quietly.

'Now now! There is no need to use that language in front of a lady is there?' He looked over to where Taz was standing, and she snarled at him, looking ready to pounce. The robot behind her sensed this, and moved even closer, so it was pressed up against her back. She shuddered, and curled her hands into small fists. Space-Claw turned back to Up. 'I must say, I applaud you, Rear Admiral, there are not many people who would get so far into my home without detection. Your talents never ease to amaze me. You really are something.' He gave a sinister smile, as his eyes fell across Taz, Tootsie, and James. The latter seemed to be having some sort of internal fit, he was slowly rocking backwards and forwards, his eyes as wide as radar dishes, and his legs were shaking. It was exactly how Up felt on the inside, but he tried his utmost not to let those feelings show in front of Space-Claw. He continued to observe James for a few more moments, until there was a small amount of scuffling to be heard behind the door, and Space-Claw looked up, and nodded for the robots to part, dragging their prisoners with them, as the door slid open once more, and Specs and Krayonder were pushed in.

'Well, isn't this nice?' Space-Claw said. 'I haven't had this many visitors all at once for a very long time. If I had known, I would have prepared a more suitable place to have this little chat. Why, my hosting skills are quite deplorable. But as I was saying, Rear Admiral, your bravery and determination astonish me. I would ask why you would want to enjoy the pleasure of my hospitality, but I think we all know why, don't you?' he offered his question to everyone in the room. There was a small pause, but soon enough the penny dropped. The crew looked from Taz to Up in astonishment. Up looked to Taz, but the confusion in her eyes made him turn away. Taz stood there, not sure what to believe. She had just managed to digest that Up survived the explosion, but now everyone thinks that they were together! Space-Claw was clearly playing mind games. Pedro would have killed the lunatic if he was here. _But why isn't he here? _Taz didn't understand. Why would he leave her in this place? Why did Up come instead? She thought back to all the wonderful times she had with Pedro, and she slowly started to remember... She was fifteen years old, in her home town in Mexico. She had been strung upside-down from a tree, and she was surrounded by an army of taunting robots. She watched the shadowy figure draw nearer. _It's Pedro! _She thought, waiting for his face to come through the mist. But the face she saw wasn't Pedro at all. She was sitting in the Academy, watching Pedro put the other ensigns through their paces. He turned, but instead of his face, it was someone else... She spun across the Europa floor, matching his every move, they were as one. They were a team. As she whirled around to face him, she saw the same face... She snapped back to reality, her eyes as wide as discs. She couldn't believe what she just saw. They were all telling the truth...Up...her hand still stung, and she remembered the argument, and the deepest rush of shame coursed through her, and she wanted to cry, and she turned to Up, opening her mouth to scream that she loved him.

'-you think you can get away with these twisted experiments?'

'Rear-Admiral, _please. _My experiments are purely scientific! Why, if I am successful, I can make us live forever! Can you imagine it Up? The human race, living throughout all eternity!'

Up stared at him, digesting what he had just heard. Space-Claw observed him, his hands resting on the polished desk.

'You can really do that?' Up said slowly.

'Of course I can! And you can be a part of it! We can be famous together, held as the people who created immortality! Come, Up. Let me _show _you.' Up stared at Space-Claw, unable to believe it. Space-Claw looked at him, his arms open. Up tentatively walked towards the desk. He placed his hands on it, and leaned forward.

'You really think' he whispered into Space-Claw's ear. 'That I would be fooled by such puerile bullshit? NOW!' As one, Specs, Krayonder, Tootsie and James grabbed their zappers, and shot the robots behind them straight in the chest. They fell back, fizzing, the sparks flying off them hit the paper on Space-Claw's desk, and within seconds, the whole desk was alight. Peterson lunged for Up, but Up dodged, and pushed him backwards, and he was soon engulfed by the flames. The fire flashed past the desk, the wallpaper blackening, and curling up before their very eyes. One of the guards finally came to their senses, and punched in the code to open the door, letting out a howl of pain as his skin came into contact with the now white-hot metal. Everyone flew out of the room, as the wall collapsed, the guards bowling over each other to get to the front. The fire chased them down the corridor, and several windows shattered from the intense heat. The three remaining guards had overtaken them by a considerable amount, and they flew into the door straight ahead, and Up realised what they had planned. The door slammed shut behind them, making the crew stop dead in their tracks. They were trapped, they could hear the guards raucous laughter grow fainter, as they proceeded to make their way to freedom. The fire was fast approaching, and there was no means of escape. Up's stomach plummeted. To have gotten so far, and to die now...

There was a low rumble, which consumed the sound of the oncoming flames, and the crew watched in astonishment as the adjacent wall collapsed beside them. Thinking God might not be dead after all, Up rushed through the gap in the brickwork after the others, just as the flames swooped past them. Up felt the eat sear the back of his hand, but it didn't matter, they were safe, for now. The corridor they were in was one Up recognised. It was the same one that they came down in to rescue Taz. Feeling a sudden surge of hope, he led the crew down to where the tunnel lay concealed.

They reached the tunnel, and squeezed through it as fast as they could, and ran out of the cave. They got out in time to see the entire building become a giant fireball. Everyone threw themselves onto the ground, as shards of glass and shrapnel flew over their heads. Once the explosion had died down, they slowly lifted their heads. The building had almost gone completely, what was left could not be seen through the shimmering flames. There was no sign of Space-Claw or his henchmen anywhere. Up breathed in the cold air, and looked around for the rest of the crew. They were all slowly getting to their feet, their faces burnt and their clothes singed, but otherwise, miraculously unharmed. Up ran over to them, and Tootsie, Specs, Taz and Krayonder all rushed into a massive hug.

'I'm so glad you guys are okay.' Up said, holding them close. They had made it, they were safe. Relief surged through Up's body, making him feel slightly faint.

'Well...isn't this touching?' There was a yell, and they wheeled round. Space-Claw was standing there, devoid of burns, and a manic glint in his eye. He held his zapper in one hand. In the other, he had grasped in his mechanical clutches...

'James!' They ran forward, but Space-Claw pointed his zapper at each of them in turn.

'One more step, and this boys brain will be used to decorate his own funeral.' they hastily took a step back, and Space-Claw smiled insanely.

'Put him down Space-Claw.' Up shouted through the smoke.

'There's four zappers pointing at you right now. Give yourself up.'

'Well, as much as I would love to do that, I think your eyes need testing. As the smoke gave way for a few seconds, the crew saw what he meant. From behind the remnants of the flaming building, they saw thousands and thousands of Setinals approaching. The five hundred or so Autobots behind them were clearly seen, but Up's eyes were drawn to the enormous figure behind them all.

'I believe you two have met?' Space-Claw shouted, and began to laugh hysterically. Up looked at the rest of the crew in desperation. This was the end. There were too many.

'Oh, before you two have your little re-union, I think this young man has something to say to you!'

'No!' James gasped. 'Please...don't!'

'Very well, boy, if you won't tell them, I will!' He took step closer to Up. 'You see, this young man has probably been the greatest asset I have ever had! He has proven himself to be most useful throughout the years. You remember your darling ship, the _Cazadora_?'

Up stared at Space-Claw, then at James, who had black tears rolling down his face.

'..._such _a pity. But for me, it was probably the most successful mission I've ever had, thanks to young James here!' he gave James a shake, whilst he desperately tried to free himself from his clutches. 'You see, I sent him to your little ship on one of our own, and he managed to blast a lovely great big hole in that warp core!'

Up looked at Space-Claw, speechless. '-now even _I _couldn't do that much damage with one shot! But I'd say he did the job fairly well, don't you?' giving Up a psychotic smile. Taz and Up froze, refusing to believe their ears.

'I... you... you're lying!'

'And _then _of course, before that, while you and the Lieutenant-Commander were sharing that _adorable _moment on the balcony...' the robots were drawing nearer, but Up kept his eyes glued on Space-Claw, listening desperately to every word, knowing that at least he would die knowing the truth. The crew drew closer to each other; Up could feel Specs's and Tootsie's arms pressed against his.

'...I asked our young man here to keep an eye on you two, and he was able to tell our informant exactly who you were, although I must say, your stylist rather works magic, doesn't he?' Taz threw the dirtiest look she could at Space-Claw. Tootsie placed a hand firmly on her shoulder.

'But I think the best work this boy has done for me is that little situation on this very planet, not three years ago!'

Up's mind was a mess. He didn't quite know what was real any more.

'What does he have to do with it?'

'Why, my dear Up, this young man alerted us that you were paying this planet a little visit, so I made it my solemn duty to make sure that you were welcomed by the local natives!'

The truth hit Up's brain like a torpedo. He struggled to formulate words, all his senses seemed confused.

'It was _you?_' he said slowly, staring at James.

'Up, please!' James choked. 'I didn't mean...I just...I wish I never did it! I wish I never did any of it! But I thought it was the only way to stay alive, they were killing everyone who refused! I never wanted it to get this far, please believe me! After that...I've been trying to help you!'

'Ah yes.' Space-Claw continued. 'I knew that he would decide to double-cross us sooner or later, but it wasn't until that charming meeting we had last year that I realised you had indeed changed sides, so I decided to give you both exactly what you wanted. I let him join you, because I knew he would bring you to me!'

Up realised now, when he first saw James, his face was covered in blood, and his skin was missing from his face, but when he saw him later that day, his skin was totally repaired. He cursed himself for being so stupid. It had been staring them right in the face the whole time. Fake blood, the lie of his innocence, it was all a part of the charade which had surely brought them all to their deaths.

_Rrr. Rrr. Rrr._

The robots had stopped moving now, they formed an

impenetrable wall, stretching back for at least a mile, rows and rows of emotionless, cold bodies of metal, with only one thought coursing through their system. Space-Claw and James stood between the robots and Up, Taz, Tootsie, Krayonder and Specs, stuck in no-mans land.

'What did you want with me?' Up asked, trying to stall, to buy them more time, even though he knew it was hopeless.

'I wanted you to realise what it felt like to have your life, and everything that you worked for, everything you love, and everything you do, to have that ripped away from you. If it wasn't for you, I would have had everything, and you would have stood along side me, Up. You would have been the proof that I am not a mad scientist, that my experiments save lives. But you ruined all with your actions, and you will learn that there is a price to pay for changing what should have been.'

The crew looked at the army of robots, knowing full well that there were too many to fight, and they stood together to face the end. Space-Claw smiled, and turned to his robot army.

'Begin.'


	19. Chapter 19 Battle

Chapter Nineteen

_**Battle**_

They advanced slowly, the sound of the machinery grew louder and louder. The Setinals were so close now, their incessant whirring was deafening, the very ground was shaking beneath their feet. The crew formed into a circle, facing the oncoming metal army, which was coming at them from all directions now. As they backed away, they bumped into each other, and grasped hands, forming a circle facing the enemy. In that moment, they all knew that there was no hope, no chance of surviving.

'Specs!' Krayonder shouted over the din. 'Specs, I love you!'

'I concur to that statement Krayonder!' Specs shouted, and they broke the circle as Krayonder grabbed Specs, held her by the face, and kissed her with all his might. The crew stared at them for a few moments, not quite sure what to do, until Tootsie burst out.

'I wish Mega-Girl was here!'

Taz looked over at Up, knowing this was the moment.

'Up! Up I-'

At that moment, there was a colossal explosion, as Rangers flew in from every point. Up saw Admiral Li, and the crew from the _Bright Eye, _and also Up's crew from the _Phoenix, _who flew in out of nowhere, and formed a solid square, facing the robots who paused, confused, as more and more men and women came in to join the battle.

'Rangers!' Li shouted. 'CHARGE!' There was an answering battle cry from the Rangers, as they threw themselves into the oncoming sea of robots. The Setinals froze, not sure which way to advance. Up saw an opportunity.

'Now's our chance! Move!' They ran without hesitation, breaking free of the circle, and Krayonder, Tootsie and Specs disappeared into the escalating fight between Rangers and robots. Up held back, and grabbed Taz by the arm as she tried to follow Specs into the battle.

'Taz!' Up shouted over the sounds of the raging war around them. 'I don't want you involved in this fight, it's too dangerous! Go on board the _Phoenix_, you'll be safe there!'

'No way _hombre_!' Taz screamed, fire dancing in her eyes. 'I've been waiting to kill some of these _coños _for months!'

'No Taz! I'm not gonna lose you again!' Up stopped, as the

truth hit him, and it was more powerful than any robot, or zapper fire. Taz stopped trying to break free from his grasp, and turned her eyes on him.

'Up...'

The rest of Taz's words were drowned out by an almighty crash. The battle was shrouded in darkness, as a figure larger than dead God himself loomed over their heads.

_Rrr. Rrr. Rrr._

Up turned to see the tentacles flying towards him. It hit him with the force of a thousand brick walls, as he was mercilessly thrown across the battlefield.

'Up!' Taz screamed, and made to run after him, but she had barely taken two strides when she was grabbed from behind.

'Let me go you-'

'Taz, get down!' and she was thrown to the floor, as the world exploded above their heads. Slivers of metal and sparking circuit boards from the destroyed Setinal rained down, and Taz threw her hands over her head, ignoring the searing pain as the thin strips of metal embedded themselves in her flesh. Eventually she stood up, and Tootsie let her go.

'_¡Feliz Navidad de mierda! _That was close. Thanks Tootsie!'

Tootsie saluted, and jogged off into the chaos. The battle had turned into a full-scale war, and Taz could already see that there were several casualties, both mechanical and human. Praying that none of the corpses were of anyone she knew, she made to run into the battle, before realising she had no zapper. A sudden feeling of vulnerability washed over her, as she observed the fights around her. She had nothing to defend herself with, but she did not even consider for one second taking Up's advice and sitting on the _Phoenix _and wait for it to be over. There was bound to be a zapper she could take from a dead Ranger, after all, they wouldn't need it any more. Before she could begin searching for her weapon, the door to the _Bright Eye _was blasted off it's hinges, and three figures came through the smoke, revealing Mega Girl, Bug, and finally February, holding a smoking zapper.

'Are we too late?' February asked, her eyes wide.

'No, _idiota_! Just in time actually!'

They followed Taz into the battle, Mega Girl desperately calling for her husband. Taz's eyes scanned the battlefield, over Bug and Krayonder taking down five robot Setinals at once, past February, Mega-Girl and Tootsie blasting down an Autobot, and through Li and the crew of the _Bright Eye _zapping away Space-Claw's henchmen, until her eyes reached what made her stomach turn. Up, Tyler and the crew of the _Phoenix _were taking Optimus Prime, each fighting their utmost, but all their zapper fire and smoke bombs didn't seem to be making any effect at all. Taz felt so helpless, as she had no zapper. There was an almighty crash, as the Autobot

February, Mega-Girl and Tootsie were fighting fell to the ground.

'Good girl!' roared Taz, passing February, running at her, and grasping her in a flying hug that nearly knocked her to the ground. February seemed momentarily speechless; Taz had never hugged her before. She gave her a watery smile.

'Thanks girlfriend!'

'_No tientes a la suerte. _I don't suppose you have a spare zapper

do you?'

'What?' said February. 'Oh yeah, we took them all from the supply store thing!' and she produced another zapper from her belt. Taz took it, and held it for a moment, a feeling of power rushing through her, before unearthing a battle cry, and threw herself into the fight. Up fired another bullet at the oncoming robot, but even the combined shootings were no match for the thick metal. It was all they could do to stall the monster, they couldn't defeat it with zapper fire alone, and the smoke bombs were no match for it's infra-red vision. The best they could do for now was to fire bullets into the dusty ground a feet or so behind the enormous wheels which carted it forward, which made it pause, and swivel its eyes behind it to see what made the noise. But it wasn't going to last much longer.

'It's no use Up!' Tyler shouted. 'The zappers are a no-go. We gotta think of something quick.' Up looked at Optimus Prime, as the giant robotic eye swivelled towards him, and he was taken back to his mechanics tutoring back at the Academy, when he was just a Cadet. He thought of the day they started to learn about the physics of manufacturing machinery, and Professor Shea talking to them all...

_'Now, when creating the machine, you must reinforce it to ensure maximum life guarantee.'_

_'What about robots professor?' asked the greasy Cadet in the corner. He grinned lazily at Up, who smirked back. He knew he was only asking because he had thought of a new plan to put a camera on a robot, and somehow get it into the girls bathroom at shower time._

_'Well, Tripp, it is different in these circumstances. For robots, when they are especially well built, the only way to disassemble it is to get to the main circuit boards. The weakest spot for a robot is always its eyes...' _Up came to, as realisation hit him.

'That's it!' He ran over to Tyler. 'Commander, I need to get to the main circuit boards, it's the only way to defeat Optimus Prime!'

'But Up...' Tylers eyes were round with fear. 'You'll be killed if you go anywhere near!'

'Keep shooting for the eyes.' Up said firmly. 'Let me worry

about the rest.'

The two men looked at each other, and in that second, there was an understanding.

'Do what you have to. Rangers! You heard him! Shoot for the

eyes!'

Up ran around the back, as the men directed their zapper fire at the swivelling eyeball. Optimus Prime froze, temporarily blinded, and Up seized his chance, and ran towards one of the giant tentacles. He grabbed hold of the end, as it was raised high into the air. Up landed on the top of the great metal head with cat-like precision. He looked all around the bulk of the head, and saw a faint outline of a hatch. He ran towards it, trying not to make too much noise with his footsteps. He prised it open, and looked down to the circuitry within. There was a yell, and Up looked down to see Tyler and his men all desperately trying to avoid the tentacles. At that moment, Optimus Prime seemed to realise that Up was standing on his head, and raised his tentacles up towards him. Tyler struggled up from the ground, and aimed his zapper straight towards the left eye, and hit it dead on. Optimus Prime froze, his tentacles temporarily frozen, only inches from Up. Up seized his chance, and ran back to the open hatch. He loaded his zapper, and pointed it into the hatch.

'Die, you son of a bitch.'

With a yell, he fired a single shot into his mechanical brain. Optimus Prime froze, leaned precariously, and started to fall towards the ground.

'Up!' Tyler yelled. 'Jump! Now!'

Up leapt towards the fast approaching ground, and rolled out of the way of the incoming robot carcass. Optimus Prime hit the ground with mundane finality, and the resultant crash made everyone go silent, as Up stared at the shell of his enemy. Space-Claw watched in horror as the robot fell, and he let out a yell of anger, and started to walk towards Up, zapper in hand and death in his eyes. He pushed the body of one of his henchmen aside, and raised his zapper, and pointed it carefully at Up. Up turned, still numb from the death of Optimus Prime, to see Space-Claw standing there, pointing his zapper at his face. He had no time to defend himself; he could just stand there, his zapper hanging uselessly at his side. Space-Claw smiled. 'It ends now _Rear Admiral_.'

'NO!'

Up heard the bullet disengage, and he looked down, expecting to see a gaping bullet hole, but there was nothing. He looked up again, to see James lying on the ground, his front soaked in blood. Up ran over, dodging through the battling Rangers and robots, and knelt by James. Up held his head looking at his wound. He had been shot in the stomach, and the blood was slowly creeping across his shirt. 'Up, I-I' He couldn't breathe, every word a struggle.

'James just, stay still, we'll- we'll get you help.'

'No, I don't deserve it. I don't even deserve your pity.'

'Don't be stupid' Up stared down at him and grasped his hand,

tears in his eyes, the scene around them slowly becoming more violent. 'Listen James, you didn't have to, I mean you could of-'

'I know, but you have something to live for, a future, what do I have? I'm a traitor to the G.L.E.E! I... I let you down Up.' His voice was barely above an audible whisper. He grabbed the front of Up's uniform, and pulled him close. 'I'm sorry.' He breathed, and the hand holding Up fell to the ground, and the

light behind his light blue eyes went out, like a candle being blown out in the wind, focusing on something Up could not see. Up stared down at the body lying at his feet, tears rolling down his cheeks, his hands still grasping James's, knowing it was too late, that he had gone where he could not be called back. A shadow fell across them, and Up raised his head. Space- Claw stood over him, his face screwed up in anger.

'Very touching. But never fear. You will be joining him.' He raised his zapper once more. 'Give him my regards.' Up felt the bullet slam into his chest, and the world went black. Space-Claw walked away, a look of satisfaction. There was a muffled yell, and something small collided with him, knocking him aside. He raised his head as Taz came in for another attack, her fists making a dull _crack _against his nose, and he felt the warm blood running down his face, followed by a kick in the abdomen which knocked the breath out of him. He lay on the ground, as Taz turned, pure hatred in her eyes, as she raised her zapper into his face.

_'Muere hijo de puta' _Taz felt the adrenaline rush through her, as her fingers tightened around the trigger, and she closed her eyes, feeling the bullet discharge from the zapper, the resultant _thud _was the most satisfying sound she had ever heard. She opened her eyes to look at his corpse, but there was nothing there. She stood there, not quite sure what was happening, when she was grabbed from behind. She felt the blow to the back of her head, which knocked her into the ground. Eyes streaming, she tried to get up, but she was then whacked in the small of the back, making it impossible to move, there was no breath left in her body, the pain was blinding. She felt someone grab hold of her wrists, and she was dragged across the corpses and through the blood, towards something she could not see, no breath in her body to retaliate.

'_Hey! Hey you! Hello?' He snapped his head away from the window with a jump, his light brown hair falling over his face, and he carelessly swept it out of his eyes. He had just turned twelve, and had that look about him that suggested that he had not been fed very well, his skin was pasty, and his bones could be seen through his flesh without too much difficulty. He looked round to the boy who was waving his hand in front of his face. He was a scruffy, weedy boy with greasy blond hair, freckles that covered his entire face, and a look of impatience in his eyes._

_'Are you going to have that?' the boy demanded, nodding to the untouched bowl of food on the table in front of him. The brown haired boy looked down for a brief second, then turned his head towards the window once more._

'_No, you can have it. I'm not hungry.' He pushed over the bowl full of grey mush that the matron had told them was their dinner. The other boy snatched it out of his hand and gulped it down in a second. Far from looking disgusted at the watery slop that he had just consumed, he sighed, a satisfied look in his eye, and set the empty bowl down._

'_Thanks for that, I'm bloody starving.' There was a sound of scraping as the benches were pushed back. Matron had obviously called for bedtime. The blond boy watched as the boys and girls made their way to their respective dormitories. The dining hall was almost empty, apart from the two boys, but then the blond boy saw there was someone else lagging behind. A little girl, no older than six, was sitting at a table on her own in the corner, cradling a small doll in her arms. The boy realised she was the girl who came in last week, after her parents were killed during the bombing raids that had been happening over the last few months. The dining hall door was pushed open, and the blond boy jumped up, convinced it was Matron, and he had already been caned that week. Three burly fourteen year old boys lumbered in, and the boy sat down with relief. The brown haired boy continued to gaze out of the window, seemingly oblivious to the world around him._

'_Ah look boys, look at the little dolly!' The boys had encircled the little girl, and snatched the doll out of her hands._

_'You know the Matron doesn't allow toys?' another boy sneered. 'You're going to get in very big trouble.'_

'_We're going to have to confiscate this!' The third boy held the doll in his fat fingers, and pulled at it's arm, until there was a small ripping sound, and a small tear appeared above its shoulder, and part of the stuffing spilled over the top. The boys laughed their approval._

'_Ah look she's crying now! Matron will cane you if you cry, did you not know?'_

_'Maybe we should teach her the rules of this place!' said the largest of the boys, and he undid his belt, and wrapped it around his knuckles, whilst the other two cheered their encouragement. The little girl cowered against the wall, tears brimming in her eyes, no matter how hard she tried to hold them back. The boy raised the belt, and brought it down, the sound of it whistled through the air before there was a loud slapping sound, as it came into contact with her flesh. She screamed, and held her hands over her face. The boy raised his arm to hit her again, when he was punched in the face with such force that he felt his nose shatter. The brown haired boy stood there, his fist still raised, which was now covered in blood. The three boys ran for it, the largest holding his bleeding nose and the boy could hear them as they ran down the corridor to their dormitory._

_'If you tell anyone about this, you're dead meat!'_

_The boy turned to the little girl, who was still cowering against the wall, a bright red mark on her face where she had been hit. He crouched down in front of her._

_'You okay?' she didn't respond, she just hugged her knees closer to her chest. The boy stood up, and felt his foot stand on something soft. He looked down, and picked up the little doll, tucking the loose stuffing back in. He gave it back to the girl, and she took it and held it close. She looked up, and gave the boy a tiny smile, before hurrying out of the hall. The blond boy watched in amazement, as the brown haired boy wiped the blood onto his baggy trousers._

'_Lights out in ten minutes!' said a voice from the corner, and one of the dinner staff came through the door. There was no time to hide; both boys froze as the woman looked at them sternly._

_'You two should be in bed.' both boys looked at each other sheepishly, when the woman noticed the blood on the brown haired boy's hand._

'_Another fight 226?' He didn't say anything. The woman tutted. 'No one is going to give you a home if you keep getting into scraps all the time.' He looked at his tattered shoes, and didn't respond. He knew he would never get adopted, no one wanted him. The woman tutted again, and turned towards the door._

_'I want you two in bed in one minute.' and she left, leaving the two boys alone again. The blond boy came over from their table, and tentatively placed a hand on the others shoulder._

_'Listen, what she said was bang out of order, but if you want to get adopted, you gotta stop trying to protect everyone.'_

'_What is this, therapy?' the brown haired boy said, making his way over to the window again. The blond haired boy stared at him with confusion._

_'Where are you looking?' he asked. The brown haired boy did not withdraw his gaze._

_'Up.'_

_The orphanage was almost overflowing with children as the attacks continued, and they were desperate to get rid of the kids that were piling up at their doorsteps so all of them at least had food to eat. Today was just like any other for Up, he stood in front of another rich couple who studied him like a piece of meat. He hadn't been adopted, but who would want a scrawny sixteen year old boy, as the younger ones still looked cute and vulnerable. The couple and the newly homed child left the building, hand in hand. It displayed such a sickening picture of happiness, and Up watched them bitterly, wondering if the orphanage would just kick him out when he turned twenty-one. The front door swung shut, casting the grubby reception in shadow. Up slid himself off the welcome desk, feeling increasingly desperate. He had to get out of this place, he would surely die of boredom or starvation before he ever got a taste of freedom. He began to slope back to the dormitory, hating everything he saw of the building he knew so well. He caught sight of the group of boys that he was meant to have had tutoring with for the last hour, and was hoping he could slip in with them before the tutor spotted him being off-limits. He crept forward, and managed to file in behind the others as the tutor turned round. 'Fuck'. The tutor opened his mouth to speak again, and Up was convinced he was going to be caned in front of everyone. There was a dull whistle, and the tutor looked around, confused, when the world exploded. Up threw himself onto the floor, hands over his head, and lay there curled up as small as he could possibly get as large chunks of stone rained down all around. He lay there for several minutes, although the noise had subsided, he was far too terrified to move. When he felt brave enough, he opened his eyes, and they instantly stung from the dust hanging in the air. He slowly lifted his head, and caught sight of the utter devastation that surrounded him. Rubble lay everywhere, and he could see none of his tutoring class, he could hardly see anything past the large chunks of stone and granite that lay in a heap in at least a mile radius. The silence was frightening Up more than the explosion itself, and he had never felt more alone. He heard a small noise, a scraping sound. It sounded like someone was trying to make their way through the rock. A figure appeared through the dust, and Up raised his arm and waved, and opened his mouth to shout out, instantly swallowing a mouthful of ash and dust._

'_Hey there son, it's okay, I got you. Can you stand?' Up cleared his throat, and flexed his legs. He seemed miraculously unharmed._

_'I think so.'_

_'Come on then, we need to get you out of here, I'll help you.' the man helped Up onto his feet, and checked him over for injuries. 'You are one lucky kid. Not many people would get past a bomb attack without at least getting a broken arm.' Up watched his saviour in awe. 'Are you a solider?'_

'_Yeah you could say that.' the man chuckled 'I'm a part of the Galactic League of Extra-terrestrial Exploration. I'm a_

_Starship Ranger.' Up looked at him, he looked so impressive in his grey uniform,_

_his muscles were incredibly intimidating, but the smile on his face was warm._

_'How can I be a Starship Ranger?' Up didn't mean to ask it quite so brashly, but he didn't remember ever wanting something so badly in his life. The Ranger gave a low chuckle._

_'Well anyone can apply, but the Academy is tough, only the best make it through to the other side. Only if you're sure-'_

_'I am, I am.' Up wanted to scream it from the rooftops. The Ranger laughed again._

_'Well in that case, our Starship is on the way to the Academy,_

_you can come with us, then you can sign up, at least you're-' he stopped, uncertainty creeping across his face. 'You're eighteen right?'_

_The Rangers words crashed around Up's ears. Two years. He couldn't wait two years. The orphanage would surely be rebuilt, but the thought of returning to the life he had led for the past sixteen years was too much to bear._

_'Yes.' he lied. 'Yes, I'm eighteen.'_

The world felt fuzzy, all sound was nothing more than a dull buzzing. Up flicked his eyes open, and was fairly surprised to be lying in the middle of a battlefield. He sat up groggily, feeling a strange sensation in his chest. He looked down, to see sparks flying from his body. He felt around gingerly, and his fingers came into contact with the hole. He looked deeper, and felt something strange. He wriggled it out of place, and it finally came free. He held it up for inspection. It was a bullet, which had been dented from contact. He rubbed his temples trying to remember, when the image of Space-Claw pointing a gun at him, James lying dead at his feet, Taz fighting the robots nearby..._Taz._

Up scoured the battlefield, but she was nowhere to be seen. He ran over to Tootsie and Mega-Girl, who had just blasted another Autobot into oblivion.

'Tootsie! Mega-Girl! Where's Taz, have you seen her?'

Tootsie looked at Up in alarm. 'I saw her beating the shit out of that freaky guy, and next thing I saw of her, she was heading off with that guy into the building! I ran to help her, but we were blocked by a load of them Autobots!'

Up didn't need to hear any more. He ran towards the burning laboratory, the part that was still standing anyway, and without hesitation, ran inside.


	20. Chapter 20 Smoke

Chapter Twenty

_**Smoke**_

Taz couldn't breathe, the fire was everywhere, but still further and further into the burning building she was dragged, until finally Space-Claw stopped, and threw her to the floor. She struggled up, and tried to lunge at Space-Claw, but the smoke was so thick, that he could not be seen. She felt him grab the back of her hair, and she was slammed into the wall. She dropped to the floor once more, never had she felt more vulnerable. She didn't have the strength to stand, let alone fight back. She lay still, curled up on the floor, wanting the end to come quickly. At least she could be with Up again... she didn't even feel the pain as Space-Claw lifted her up by the hair, and flicked a knife across her face. She felt the blood running down her face, but the pain that came with it was nothing to the pain inside her heart. She felt herself being propped up, as Space-Claw held the knife against her throat, and pressed it into her skin. Beads of blood ran down her neck, but she didn't feel it at all.

Up raced through the flames, trying not to breathe in the deadly fumes, straining all senses to find where Space-Claw had taken Taz. The very walls seemed to be melting, and the ground was obscured by a shimmering haze. Every now and again, a window would shatter from the intense heat. He ran onward, but his body did not want to obey him, the blow to his chest had almost malfunctioned the right side of his body, but this did not stop him from trying. He listened for a scream, a struggle, anything to give a sign of where she was. Dust and rubble were falling down from the ceiling as Up ran forward, when he heard something. He ran towards the noise, and there they were. Space-Claw was holding Taz by her neck, when he suddenly swung his fist up, and pinned her to the wall. Up leapt at Space-Claw, which made him let go of Taz, she slid to the floor, grasping her bleeding neck. Space-Claw was sprawled out on the floor, but Up lifted him up easily, and punched him full on in the face, before kicking him in the ribs. Several loud cracks pierced the air, and Space-Claw let out a howl of pain. Taz made her way to the corner, and watched the fight unfold in front of her. Space-Claw was being beaten to a pulp, and Up's last blow had knocked him to the floor. Space-Claw lifted his head, his face bloody and bruised.

'Is that all you've got?'

Up merely growled, before stepping on his foot, breaking his toes. But the crack Taz heard was not from broken bones. She looked up in time to see cracks darting across the ceiling. She tried to get to Up to drag him to safety, but her legs refused to support her weight. Holes were appearing in the ceiling, it was going to cave in any second.

'Get down!' Taz screamed, but it was too late. The ceiling fell down, bringing the rest of the building with it. Taz threw herself flat on the floor, as tons of rubble and glass cascaded down upon them. Taz lay there, until all was quiet, and she lifted her head.

'Up?' she coughed. There was no reply. The silence was daunting. She struggled into a sitting position, trying to see through the dust, flames and smoke, but she could see no one.

She shut her eyes, a single tear rolling down her face, and she put her head between her knees. Once the dust cleared, she looked up, and there was a figure rising from the wreckage. She prepared for the worst, convinced it would be Space- Claw, and she shut her eyes again, waiting for the blow.

'Taz?'

She opened her eyes, and there was Up crouching in front of her, covered in ash and soot, but alive. Taz felt such relief pass through her that she felt slightly faint.

'Up...I...I though you were dead!' Up chuckled softly.

'You ain't getting rid of me that easy.'

Taz was lost for words, but she found words didn't matter. She

stared at him, and he was looking back, she found his hand,

and held it close to her. She felt everything she needed to say to him all rush to her mind at once, but she didn't know how to put it into words. She leant forwards and kissed him with all her might, it was a message of everything she was thinking when he was away, and how happy she was that he was here, and he was kissing her back, and Taz wished that one kiss could last forever. The noise brought her back down to earth, and they broke apart, Taz straining her ears for the sound. It was a light squeaking, almost impossible to hear. Taz looked over to the place where the roof collapsed. Past the mangled and charred corpse of Space-Claw, Taz saw it. One of the roof tiles had sliced through the gas tap, which was becoming dangerously close to the oncoming fire. Up had seen exactly the same thing, and stood up.

'Can you stand?' he asked. Taz tried, but her legs were so

shaky she couldn't even straighten them, and the light headed feeling was getting worse. She shook her head. 'All right.' He bent down and lifted her up, and then he began to run faster than he'd ever ran before, Taz clinging on to him. She could feel the heat of the fire, which was everywhere now, sweat was beginning to run down her back. She felt dizzy, and the urge to vomit was rising by the second, but she supposed it was from the fumes and the leaking gas. She held on tighter to Up, marvelling at his strength, he wasn't even faltering with their combined weight. _I can run faster than the two of us combined. _She now realised what he meant. They burst through the non-existent doors and ran flat out over the ground, past the greatly receding battle.

'Woah, Up what's going-' Krayonder did not need to finish his

sentence, as at that point, the entire building exploded, creating a mushroom cloud that almost reached the stars. Up threw himself onto the ground, shielding Taz from the inferno, as the heat and remaining rubble flew over their heads.

Up lifted his head cautiously, the rest of the crew were getting back onto their feet. He lifted Taz up, and tried to get her to stand. She stood for a moment, but then collapsed suddenly into Up. He caught her, and lowered her back onto the ground; her face was scrunched up with pain. The rest of the crew were already running over when they realised something was wrong. They rushed to Taz's side, where she lay, holding her sides.

'Is she okay?' Tootsie asked.

'According to my sensors she has had an overdose of tranquillizer, and her cardiology system has gone into overdrive.'

Up looked at Taz, refusing to believe what he had been told, when Li came over, her face ablaze with fury.

'What in dead Gods name have you done? I gave you _specific _instructions to bring Space-Claw back _alive_.'

'Yes' said Up coldly. 'And you promised she wouldn't get hurt.' he turned his back to her. Taz's breathing had become shallow. She took Up's hand, and looked at him.

'Up' she breathed. '_Yes._'

She squeezed Up's hand, but her grip became loose, and her eyelids drooped, then the hand holding Up's slid out of his grip, leaving the ring clenched in his hand. There was a hush, then Tootsie put his arm around Up, and they sat there for several minutes, even Li was silent. Tootsie stood up, and went to join Krayonder, Mega-Girl and Specs, leaving Up alone with Taz. He gently kissed her on the forehead, and held her hand gently.

'_Te amo _Taz.'

Specs came over, with a look in her eyes that wasn't quite sorrow.

'Up, may I talk to you?' Up nodded, unable to find words. 'I _may _have something that can help, but it is a thousand to one that it will work, but it's our only shot. You don't have to agree.' Specs finished, her voice lowered. Up looked at her, then at the rest of the crew waiting anxiously, as if they knew what was being said. He couldn't say it. He merely nodded and stood aside. Specs nodded back, and knelt down at Taz's side. She withdrew from her utility belt a glass phial, sealed by a cork. Specs opened the phial, when Li could contain herself no longer.

'_Really _now this is an untested substance! You can't just take things from my office and use them where-' she stopped abruptly from the look of each crew members face. Specs lifted Taz's head, and poured the substance in her mouth, manipulating her chin to make her swallow. She then stood back, and they waited for several minutes. Up was convinced it hadn't worked, and had just turned away when he heard a groan. He wheeled around to see Taz flicker her eye lids. Up's insides seemed to melt with happiness. He ran back to her side, and she looked at him.

'I thought I'd lost you' Up whispered, clutching her hand.

Taz gave a small smile and said quietly 'You ain't getting rid of me that easy.'


	21. Chapter 21 Healing

Chapter Twenty-One

_**Healing**_

After just three days, Taz was utterly sick of the hospital. If it wasn't for Rosie, Up knew she would have broken out on the first day. Her neck was slowly recovering, although the deep scar would never fade, and she was adamant that she was fit enough to leave. But that didn't stop all the tests she was put though. Nearly every day a doctor would want another blood test or piss sample, all of which made Taz feel queasy, but she knew she didn't have to put up with it for much longer. Up hadn't really talked to Taz since she arrived at the hospital, even though they really didn't have a chance what with the rest of the crew visiting three times a day.

'You're looking great girlfriend; I know you will be back with us in no time!' February said as she offered out the box of chocolates that she'd brought for everyone.

'I mean, once you're better, we can have the whole team back together man, and then we will be back in business!' Krayonder added. It was true, Up had been demoted, hours after Taz was sent to Rosie, for purposely disobeying orders, but Up didn't care. He was glad of it, he sat back and watched his crew in the corner of the room, feeling immensely proud of all of them, and had to work hard to stop a smile creeping onto his face.

'Are they feeding you well?' Tootsie asked as he held up the box February had passed round.

'Well enough.' Taz said grumpily. 'I'm just tired-'

'Come now, I think Taz needs to rest.' Rosie had entered the room with her clipboard. 'I'm sure you can come and see her again tomorrow.' Tootsie, February and Krayonder said their goodbyes, leaving the chocolates on the side.

'Thanks Rosie.' Taz smiled.

'Not at all, you just get some sleep, and please don't try and leave again!' She chuckled. Rosie turned round to see Up still sitting there staring out the window. 'Up.' he soon broke out of his trance. 'Can I talk to you a moment?' They left Taz to sleep, and Up followed Rosie to the corridor outside, sliding the door shut behind them. Rosie turned to face him.

'I've her test results back today.'

'And?'

'It seems like Taz is recovering so well because, before receiving the substance from Specs, she had already imbibed some, several weeks previously according to the results.'

'But how? I mean I don't even know what this 'substance' is.' Up hadn't really been informed with this discovery, Li hadn't bothered to trouble him with the information before demoting him. 'Well your crew will be able to give you the finer details, but simply, it's a sort of a life stimulator. The water on Bug World had an undiscovered element, that, in essence, enables life to be extended. I'm guessing Taz must have been in contact with the water before her kidnap.' Up looked over to the door.

'But she's gonna be fine now?'

'Yes, definitely. We just need to keep her in for another few days. The crew will all be happy to see her come out.'

'Yeah, they sure will.' he chuckled, he didn't want to tell Taz but Bug, Mega Girl and February had organised a surprise party for her when she was discharged. Up knew that she would hate the thought, she hated being centre of attention. Once Taz had discovered that she was alive because she was in the lake down on Bug World, Taz began to remember swallowing a mouthful when she heard someone calling her name, and she spent most of that day thanking an utterly bemused Krayonder. The substance itself had been hailed as the most important scientific discovery of mankind. Up was just so relieved to have everything back to the way it was. He knew Tyler would make a great Rear Admiral, and he didn't envy the endless paperwork. Up thought about the events of the past week as he sat by Taz's bedside, looking forward to when Taz got discharged, about the party, and being able to truly spend quality time with the people he loved.

'What are you smiling at?' Taz demanded.

'Nothing.' Up replied, trying not to laugh. 'I just wish you could get discharged now.'

'Yeah, well I suppose I've only got to put up with one more _hediondo _week in here. I swear hospital dinners are made out

of recycled dog food.'

Taz knew something was up when Up had covered her sight with her own headband.

'Where the hell are you-'

'Trust me, you'll see' he lead her across the halls of the 15 A2 until they reached the mess hall.

'If you think I'm going to hit a _piñata _or something, you can think again.' Taz grumbled, as they turned into the mess hall.

'Now promise you won't kill me.' he said quietly as he lifted the band off her eyes.

She saw the scene that was laid out, and turned back to Up, with something between alarm and exasperation in her eyes.

'I can't promise anything.'

The party was one big gathering, Bug had even invited some of the locals from Bug World over. There was dancing, and lots of food, which Tootsie rather enjoyed. Taz sat next to Up as they watched February and Bug attempting to dance around the hall. Despite the fact that she hated parties, Taz was beginning to enjoy herself for the first time in months. She looked over at the dancing crew, feeling doubly fond of all of them. February and Bug came over, panting. February slipped off her shoes and rubbed her soles.

'Oh my dead God, I feel totally whacked!'

'Hey Feb.' said Up, smiling.

Krayonder and Specs joined them soon after, both red in the face.

'What's up guys?' Krayonder puffed. Specs leaned over to where February and Bug were busy rubbing noses.

'Hey Bug? Can I talk to you for a second?' Bug prised himself

from February's grasp and followed Specs out of the mess hall.

The party continued to get louder as the drinks were consumed, and Tootsies face got redder by the hour. Taz stood by the edge of the makeshift dance floor, swaying to the beat, tequila in hand. She thought she had earned it for one night, but was careful to only have the one glass. The lights dimmed as the slow song came on. Tootsie and Mega Girl were the first onto the floor, rotating and cuddling closely. February and Krayonder went up next, and Taz watched them ruefully. A hand appeared in front of her, and she looked to Up, who gestured towards the dance floor. She smiled, dumped the rest of the tequila on a nearby table, and followed him onto the floor as they began to rotate slowly.

The dance seemed to last forever, but it was so perfect. Taz pressed into Up as they swayed to the beat. _Well, he was much better at this than salsa_. At last, the song played its last note and the couples left the dance floor as a much faster, jazzier number came on. The floor was then swarmed by bugs who began to dance crazily, and Up, Taz, February, Krayonder, Tootsie and Mega Girl collapsed on nearby seats. February seemed quite subdued, she sat in silence watching Roach attempting to break dance as the rest of the bugs cheered and applauded. She closed her eyes momentarily, and then looked over at Krayonder.

'Have you seen Buggy lately?'

'No I haven't.' he replied a worried look on his face. 'I ain't seen Specs either.' February sat back in her seat, looking desperately unhappy.

'I'm sure they'll turn up soon!' Tootsie said comfortingly. February looked like she was about to burst out crying.

'That was meant to be our first dance!' she choked, holding back tears. There was a hiss as the smoke machine kicked into life and the lights flashed crazily, sending the bugs into a dancing frenzy. There was a sliding sound, and Specs appeared through the mist. Krayonder jumped up.

'Specs! Where the hell were you?' Specs smiled, but she seemed to be a bit out of breath, beads of sweat were starting to appear on her forehead.

'You'll see.' she panted. Everyone was a bit perplexed at her response, but the sound of the door sliding open again drew away their attention. A figure was appearing through the mist, and there was murmurings of confusion.

'Who is that?' Taz said, forehead creased.

'I'm not sure.' said Mega Girl, seemingly equally confused.

February stood up, and made her way over to the figure.

'Who are you?'

There was a flash of silver as the figure stepped forward.

'It's me! A Starship Ranger.'

There was a moment of silence as the crew stood there, not

daring to believe what they were seeing. Bug emerged from

the mist, Krayonder jumped a foot into the air, and February screamed, slopping her drink all over herself. Bug stepped towards them, looking a little taken aback at their reaction, straightening his Rangers uniform nervously. His black hair, held in perfect place above his blue headband, bounced slowly as he walked forward, and the lights reflected off his light brown eyes.

'People, for the love of dead God, calm yourselves down!' shouted Specs. February looked as though she was on the point of collapsing.

'Buggy? Is that you?'

'Yes February, it's me! I know I look a little different, but I'm still the same old Bug!'

Everyone looked from Bug to Specs in amazement. Specs was trying her best not to look smug, but Krayonder pulled her into a tight hug and shouted.

'My girl is a fucking genius!'

There was a general cry of approval from the crew and bugs, and Specs's face became a deep beetroot red. Up leaned over to her.

'You did good there, Ranger.' he muttered, smiling from ear to ear. Specs smiled, and gave him a small salute, which he returned.

'Oh Buggy!' February cried. 'I love you so much!' and she leapt forward and kissed him with all his might. Bug responded with such enthusiasm that February was lifted off her feet, and the cheers from the humans and the bugs could have been heard for miles around.


	22. Epilogue

Chapter Twenty-Two

_**Epilogue**_

Up looked down at Taz, who was curled up on his lap, still smiling at the scene they had all just witnessed. Tonight had been the best night he had ever had, and he knew it was Taz's too, but he knew that the night wasn't quite over yet.

'Hey.' He jogged her a little. She looked up with her smile still pasted on her face. 'Lets go, I think Bug and February need some space.'

'_Muy bien, entonces_' And with that, they left February and Bug to finally have their first dance together. They walked until they reached a destination they knew too well. 'Why are we here?' Taz inquired.

'Why not!' Up smiled as he plotted in the coordinates for the holodeck. He finished typing in their destination and the door slid open to revel a bright light. Up leaned on the wall proudly. Taz on the other hand looked confused. 'I don't understand... where are we going?'

'Why don't you go in, and find out?' Up smirked. Taz glared at him, but then sighed and walked through the door, knowing he was up to something.

She had been here before, but she couldn't remember when, almost like she had dreamed coming here. She walked through the dahlias and the lantanas, until she saw the lanterns and the fire torches. She looked back to Up, who nodded for her to walk on. She carried on; still unaware of her destination, until she walked to the centre of a clearing, surrounded by tall, green, luscious trees, with what seemed to be glistening star that threaded through the branches. She carried on searching her surroundings until she saw the building. Then at last she knew where she was, she turned to find Up at her side, a huge smile on his face.

'Welcome home.'

She was home, back in her Mexican village, only it was restored. It was just as she remembered, almost as if she had never left. She was astonished, she could almost cry, but instead just laughed.

'But why? I mean-' she was speechless.

'Well... I just reckoned we needed to do things properly.'

'Properly?'

'Yes.' He cupped her face with his left hand and stared into her deep dark eyes, he saw the reflection of the stars glistening and with a breath, said

'It is tradition to get married in the brides home-town you know.' and with his right hand brought out the ring.

'What?' Taz whispered, as she stared at the ring in his hand.

'Well, you did say yes,' his smile quickly faded 'Unless you've changed-'

'No! _Muerto Dios_, no!' she took a deep breath. 'Its just, well, I was gonna...' She lowered her head.

'What?'

She looked at him looking slightly sheepish, 'I was gonna _pedimos que_.'

He chuckled, he took her hand in his own and braced himself with what he had been planning in his head for weeks.

'Taz, I- I love you and I've loved from the second I saw you hanging from that tree over there. It's just taken me all these years to convince myself that... maybe we can do this. I know we've been through some hell these past few months, but I just want you to know that I will protect you, I will honour and respect you and-' he ignored the tears rolling down both their eyes and carried on, but now he was sliding the ring onto her hand. 'I will never let you down. I will be the man you need me. Because without you... I'm nothing.'

They stood there under the Mexican stars, Taz wiped the tears from her cheeks and looked into his eyes, and slid Up's matching ring onto his finger.

'You big _idiota_, I don't need you to change, you are all that I need. And I'll probably sound _tonto _when I say this but knowing you are with me is all I need. All those times when I thought I had lost you, I just died inside. When I'm with you, everything seems right, and I knew we were always meant to be together.' She couldn't seem to get out her last sentence, Up leant forward and pressed his forehead onto hers, she pulled him closer, and Taz realised that it was complete. It felt so surreal, looking at the rings now in place on their left hands, which were entwined. The kiss was like any other, but to them

it was like the first time back on Europa. She threaded her hand through his hair, not wanting it to end. Up traced his hands up from her waist towards her neck. '_Que hago_' Taz managed to say, Up matched her smile. '_Que hago_.'

The stars slid gently by, like large twinkling fairy lights, and the world had never looked more beautiful. They walked through the village, arm in arm, not even set on a destination. They walked for what seemed like minutes, but might have been hours. Taz and Up left the holodeck hand in hand, listening to faint music from the mess hall grow louder.

'You were wrong about one thing though Up.' Up looked down to her, confused 'That's not my home, not any more. I know where I belong now.'

Up looked down at her, and he knew this was the happiest he had ever felt.

'We should get back to the party, or they're all gonna come out looking for us, and I don't know about you, but I want to keep

February from hearing about this for a little while.' Taz laughed.

'Yeah, we better say congratulations to Bug.' she said, wiping her eyes with her hand. 'I just need to go sort myself out first; I bet I look a mess.' Up took her wrists in his hands and looked at her with more love than he knew he possessed.

'Tazia, _cielito_, stop fussing, you look beautiful.'


	23. Just A little Extra Stuff xD

**Just a Little Extra Stuff**

Hiya guys Beth and Livvy here we just wanted to say we hope you enjoyed our very first fanfiction EVER! And also we just wanted to say a huge THANK YOU to everyone who reviewed and took time to read our little story! If you are interested you can download a free copy of _Forever Dancing_ on our Tumblr! Check it out

Here's the thing. Not all ideas make it to the final cut, and sometimes we had to let some great ideas go. Listed below are some examples of the complete opposite, but we hope they inspire you in some form. Here it is, Forever Dancing... Uncut.

**Space-Claws monologue-**

'It all started when I was sixteen. My first girlfriend... Susan. I remember her well. We were so in love. Untill she fucked off with my brother!'

This part was going to be in Chapter Twenty, when Up, Taz and Space-Claw are in the burning laboratory. I know it's not a monologue as such, but it made us laugh and we never forgot it. We came up with this little treasure in one of our art classes, when we were just throwing around ideas to put in the book in the early days of planning, but we realised this wouldn't quite fit in with the situation, so it was sadly cut.

**The monster-**

Yeti, pink fur, big lemur eyes and wings like a penguin. It has crocodile teeth, and a bunny tail. One elephant foot, and one rectangular foot so kids can learn their shapes, and walks with a limp. It eats humans and biscuits, and can shrink to the size of a bunny. It's weapon is laser eyes, and is constantly asleep.

This amazing creation was brought to life by our friend Emily. We were looking for a monster to place in Chapter Eight, so we foolishly asked our friends for ideas, and I (Beth) was eating a Bounty bar at the time (yum) and Emily created the monster described above, called The Bounty, while a bemused Livvy wrote it all down on her Ipod. Unfortunately this did not tie in with the ideas, and was also cut out.

**The Butt Bomb.**

Now, I cant really describe the creation of this beauty, so I will replay the conversation me and Livvy had.

_Beth and Livvy pass their school in Livvy's mums car on the way back from the theatre._

_Beth: 'Oh look, it's school. KABOOM. I will blow it up!'_

_Livvy: 'Make sure you put the bomb in the science block!'_

_Beth: 'Nah it's in the maths block!'_

_Livvy: 'Oh good! Kill all the people we don't like'_

_Beth: 'You're responsible for the murder!'_

_Livvy: 'NO you thought of the bomb!'_

_Beth: 'Did you say the bum?'_

_Livvy: 'I said the bomb! But you could hide the bomb up someone's bum?'_

_Beth: 'That's sick! Whos bum?'_

_Livvy: 'Our maths teachers?'_

_Beth: 'Yeah bomb up the butt! Thats would be a great idea for the book!'_

And there you have it!

We also had some serious ideas that got cut out, but that's for another time. Any of these ideas are not copyright protected, and you can use them wherever you choose!

Please do not attempt to create this much insanity at home without specialist supervision.

And wait theres more keep a eye on our youtube account and tumblr for special news on our brand new orignial book idea! All information on where to go can be found on our profile xD xxx

Again thanks a bunch you guys x


	24. Authors Note

**Authors Note **

**Hiya guys Olivia and Beth here, it's been a few months since we first posted Forever Dancing to Fanfiction and we are still amazed by the response, considering this was our first attempt at writing anything we are so touched by all your lovely comments xxxx At the moment we have two new writing projects on at the go, one being an original horror tale and we have yet another Team Starkid fanfic in the writing process, we hope you will be patient as it takes us time to actually think of ideas and write them down. Then theres the issue that were not that good at spelling or grammar so we have to proof read everything about three times xD If any of you have any questions for either of us or just have ideas for stories you wish to share with us give us a PM **

**Once again thank you guys so much xxx**


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